New Council Chairmen Sworn In Amid Political Truce in Rivers

Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, has officially sworn in the newly elected chairmen for the state’s 23 local government areas.

The ceremony took place on Monday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, shortly after the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) presented the winners with their certificates of return.

The election results, declared by RSIEC, show a decisive victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC), which won 20 chairmanship seats. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured the remaining three.

During the swearing-in, the Sole Administrator urged the new council leaders to dedicate their efforts to the welfare of their constituents and the development of their local government areas.

Earlier, RSIEC Chairman Dr. Michael Odey presented the certificates and congratulated the winners.

He commended Rivers State voters and stakeholders for their conduct during the polls. Odey tasked the incoming chairmen with governing humbly, transparently, and within the bounds of the law, emphasizing the need for inclusive leadership that transcends political party lines. He also advised any aggrieved candidates to either collaborate with the new administration or seek legal redress.

Speaking on behalf of all the newly inaugurated chairmen, Allwell Ihundah of the PDP, the new Mayor of Port Harcourt City, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his role in fostering a political resolution in Rivers State. Ihundah pledged that the new leadership would prioritize both human and infrastructural development in their respective areas.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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