INEC Fixes February 21 for Rivers Bye-Elections, PDP, LP, ADC Miss Ballot

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Gabriel Yomere, has confirmed that the Rivers bye-election scheduled for February 21 will proceed as planned, despite the absence of major political parties on the ballot.

Yomere made the declaration while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt, stating emphatically that the polls for Khana Constituency 2 and Ahoada East Constituency 2 in the Rivers State House of Assembly will go ahead without candidates from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC).

According to him, a combination of internal disputes and procedural lapses within the affected parties prevented them from fielding candidates for the long-delayed elections.

The two Assembly seats have remained vacant for over two years. The Khana Constituency 2 seat became vacant following the death of lawmaker Dinebari Loolo in September 2023. Similarly, Ahoada East Constituency 2 lost representation after Edison Ehie resigned in December 2023 to assume office as Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor.

With the political heavyweights missing from the race, twelve candidates from seven smaller political parties have now stepped forward to contest the seats, offering voters in the affected constituencies a renewed opportunity to elect representatives after years without legislative voice.

Yomere assured residents that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has completed all logistical arrangements for the Rivers bye-election on February 21. He emphasized that Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) deployed for the exercise are permanent INEC staff, not members of the National Youth Service Corps, a move he said underscores the commission’s commitment to transparency and credibility.

The electoral body urged voters in Khana Constituency 2 and Ahoada East Constituency 2 to turn out en masse and participate peacefully in the democratic process.