By Muhammad Mamman
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has commended the smooth conduct of the Rivers State local government elections, describing the exercise as credible, successful, and in strict compliance with the directives of the Supreme Court.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike noted that the elections marked a significant step towards entrenching grassroots democracy and safeguarding the financial autonomy of local councils.
Wike, who cast his ballot at Polling Unit 007, Ward 9, Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, applauded President Bola Tinubu for providing the enabling environment for the polls to hold.
He stressed that the Supreme Court had already ruled against the existence of caretaker committees in local governments, affirming that statutory allocations would only be released to democratically elected officials.
“With the conduct of this election, funds from the Federation Account will now go directly to elected representatives of the councils,” Wike stated.
