Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, will on Sunday, 6 October 2024, swear in the newly elected council chairmen at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, at 4:00 pm.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, dated 6 October 2024, and made available to Chronicle NG.
Danagogo said the newly elected chairmen, along with one guest each, are expected to be seated by 3:30 pm.
The Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), declared 22 chairmanship candidates of the Action Peoples Party (APP) as winners of the 5 October 2024 local government elections in the state.
He declared the results in Port Harcourt on Saturday, saying that the candidates, after the collation of results, scored a majority of valid votes cast in two-thirds of their respective wards in the 22 local governments.
Enebeli, who is also the Chief Electoral Commissioner for the election, added that the result of the chairmanship position for Etche LG was stood down by the commission because of its expansive landscape with 19 wards, which slowed down the collation process.
The election was, however, marred by violence in areas where suspected political thugs and some men in police uniforms wreaked havoc.
The incident, which took place at Elekahia Primary School in Port Harcourt City LGA, saw RSIEC officers and voters scampering for safety, as 21 Hilux patrol vans with heavily armed men drove into the election venue and immediately fired tear gas canisters.
Also, two explosions were reported at the All Progressives Congress secretariat along Aba Road and the Obio/Akpor Local Government secretariat. The state police command said its units had responded swiftly, visiting the scenes and collecting samples for investigation.
Another notable occurrence was that RSIEC officials were absent in Ward 9, Rumueprikom, Obio/Akpor LG Rivers state, the hometown of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
A voter, who gave her name as Oluchi, said, “Election did not hold in Rumuiprikom; that’s what we noticed. But in other places, they’re doing elections. We don’t even know what happened.”
A similar situation was observed on NTA Road, Mgbuoba, and Ozuoba communities in Obio/Akpor LG, Rivers.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
