Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended the legality of the recently conducted local government elections in Rivers State, saying that it was valid under the law.
He blamed the media for poor research leading to misinformation of the people which distorted public understanding of the process of the election. He spoke at a media dialogue.
“First of all, let me comment about the elections. This morning, I sat down, I watched a comment on a particular channel. On Saturday, before I went to vote. The problem we have in this country is misinformation.
“It’s not my fault that you refuse to do your work. If you want to go to this area, you have to be a researcher. You have to be adequately informed, so that when you are asking questions, you are confronting people with facts. Sometimes it gives me an imagination when I see people on television, thinking they have done their investigative job. I discovered that zero.”
He said the LG election cannot be said to be illegal because under emergency rule, the constitution empowers the President to suspend or modify provisions of the law to ensure that governance continues.
He said: “Have you read about the Emergency Powers Act of 2004 that was signed by President Olusegun Obasanjo? What does it say? The President has power to suspend or modify subsections of the law under emergency rule. Under the emergency rule, we can make regulations for the governance of the emergency areas.
“Some people say the Electoral Act said 90 days, 150 days. They forget that the President has power to suspend some sections, which he did by the regulation he made. And why should it be that each time, you are not a lawyer, you are not a judge, but you make yourself a judge to interpret the constitution? Ignorance of the law is not an excuse,” the former governor of Rivers state said.
Wike insisted that the elections were necessary to enable local governments to access funds from the Federation Account, in accordance with the judgment of the Supreme Court.
“If this election is not conducted, and then the governor comes in, the state legislature comes in, how will local government access funds? When there is no democratically elected government, how will they access funds from the Federation Account? How will civil servants be paid? You will have crisis, and the President had to look and, by the regulations he made, conduct the election,” he said to justify the election.
Wike also denied claims that he supported the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Rivers State local government elections, insisting that he only campaigned for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his own local government.
“You always say Wike cannot influence what happens in other local governments. He can only influence what happens in his own local government. I have an influence, I campaigned for my people to vote for PDP, and my people have voted for PDP in my local government. Now you are angry that APC won in their local governments, which means why did I not extend the influence I didn’t have,” Wike said.
“The local government that is telling you who is what in this state is my local government, Port Harcourt local government, and our government in Obio/Akpor local government. These are local governments won by PDP. What happened in Rivers State on Saturday is what we are going to see in 2027. You should know that every election has its own perspective, and you should know whether people are happy with what is happening,” he said.
