Ward 5 in Opobo Nkoro Local Government Area, the home ward of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, witnessed little to no voting on Saturday after the governor failed to appear for the local government election.
Polling units in the ward remained largely deserted, with residents attributing the inactivity to Fubara’s reported absence from town.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), which has officials picked by Sole Administrator Ibokette Ibas, is overseeing the exercise across 23 local government areas, 319 wards and 4,442 polling units in the state.
Saturday’s election comes six months after the Supreme Court annulled the October 2024 council polls over violations of the Electoral Act.
Governor Fubara had overseen that process but was later suspended from office for six months in March following a political rift with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
