Miriam Nnoli 
The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), on Friday, called on residents to conduct themselves peacefully as the state holds its Local Government (LG) elections on Saturday, August 30.
Ibas made this call while meeting with leaders of organised labour and Local Government Administrators at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Ibas’ plea comes as some prominent Rivers indigenes asked President Bola Tinubu to halt the conduct of the LG elections.
Saturday Telegraph recalls that five indigenes of Rivers had sued the Federal Government, Ibas, and the State electoral body over plans to conduct the Local Government elections.
However, the Administrator restated his administration’s unwavering commitment to transparency, staff welfare, and the successful conclusion of the ongoing staff verification exercise.
Ibas said the timing was deliberate to underscore the intrinsic link between accountable leadership and effective grassroots governance.
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Ibas set a deadline of September 4, 2025, for the completion of all local government staff verification, vowing to deploy all necessary state resources to meet this goal, emphasising the necessity of the process.
“All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure a safe and peaceful election,” just as he urged residents to “please go out tomorrow (today) and exercise your civic responsibility without fear or intimidation.”
“19,186 state pensioners verified, compared to over 25,500. 2,004 local government pensioners verified out of over 2,600. 8,000 local government staff verified across seven LGAs, including Obio/Akpor, Bonny, Etche, and Degema.”
