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Rivers PDP to boycott LG elections amid political crisis

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The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced its decision to boycott the upcoming local government elections scheduled for October 5, 2024.

This decision was made following a stakeholders’ meeting at the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, where State Chairman Aaron Chukwuemeka disclosed that the party will abstain from the election due to a pending court case initiated by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While the PDP is not directly involved in the APC’s lawsuit, Chukwuemeka stated that the party would respect the court’s order, which has temporarily restrained the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) from proceeding with the elections.

He urged all PDP members to avoid participating in any election-related activities, emphasizing the party’s commitment to upholding the rule of law.

“We’ve just concluded a stakeholders’ meeting and have decided, as a law-abiding party, not to partake in the purported local government elections slated for the 5th of October,” Chukwuemeka announced.

The decision to boycott follows the defection of several Caretaker Committee Chairmen, previously loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, from the PDP to the Action People’s Party (APP).

This wave of defections occurred after allegations surfaced that the state PDP structure had been taken over by Fubara’s predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The political tension between Fubara and Wike has created a crisis within the PDP, leading to a mass exodus of council chairmen and their supporters to the APP. As a result, most candidates for the upcoming local government chairmanship and councillorship elections are now running on the APP platform, with campaigns already in full swing.

This internal rift and the PDP’s boycott of the elections mark a significant turning point in the political landscape of Rivers State, with the APP potentially emerging as a key player in the local elections.