Governor Bala Mohammed, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, was on ground on Sunday when his Rivers counterpart, Siminalayi Fubara, swore in winners of Saturday’s local government election.
Daily Trust had reported how the Action Peoples Party (APP) won 22 Chairmanship seats, conceding one to Action Alliance.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, Fubara said with the Local Government Council election over, the State has entered into a season of transformation where democracy will not only thrive but the people shall witness delivery of democratic dividends that satisfy their aspirations.
He said that the pressure to destroy the Local Government system in Rivers became intense three days before Election Day when an attempt was made to invade the Headquarters of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
The Governor said, “But the truth remains, desperate situations require desperate measures. We were confronted with a situation where the local government of this State was heading to doom.
“And the truth about it is, because of the genuine love that we have for this State, we must salvage the local government election.
“And what we did, with the support of Rivers people, was to salvage the local government council. And to the glory of God, that has been done and dusted.”
Governor Fubara said with the elections now over, the remainder of the years in office, his administration will not deploy any form of undemocratic ways to confront or fight anybody.
He assured that, rather, he will continue to use the means of peace to ensure that the assets of Rivers State are protected.
He said, “We will assure the Federal Government that we are not going to be party to anything leading to breakdown of law and order in this State.
“This is because we know quite alright that if there is breakdown of law and order in this State, Nigeria will suffer, and we are not going to be party to it. That is the reason why our standard, in terms of maturity, was high.”
Governor Fubara charged the newly sworn-in chairmen to ensure that they remain connected with the people in their council areas.
He urged them to emulate his approach to peace so that they can be more patient with people and the situation without being violent.
He added, “For the newly sworn-in Chairmen, I want you to see yourselves as servants. Once you see yourself as emperor, that is where the problem begins. Once you see yourself as the one who knows it all because of the power of the fund available to you, that is where you will start seeing crisis.
“But see this opportunity as a call to service. It is an opportunity for you to bring people together and to deliver to the people of Rivers State. We need development in the 23 local government areas.”
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