By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Port Harcourt
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly will return to their constitutional duties on September 18, when the state of emergency in the state is expected to expire.
Wike, who spoke on Saturday after casting his vote in the ongoing local government election at polling unit 7, ward 9 in Rumuepirikom community, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, commended the conduct of the exercise, describing it as peaceful compared to previous elections in Rivers.
He explained that the election became necessary to prevent a vacuum in grassroots administration after the Supreme Court nullified the earlier local government polls conducted in the state.
“What this election means, and you know by 18 of September that state of emergency will expire, and that the state House of Assembly will come back to their jobs. Remember that the Supreme Court had nullified the other election, and if this election was not conducted, it means that there is no governance at the grassroots level.
“This election is peaceful, election materials are there on time and people are casting their votes,” Wike said.
The Supreme Court had earlier voided the tenure elongation of elected local government chairmen in Rivers State, paving the way for fresh elections. The apex court ruled that the extension of tenure beyond the constitutionally provided three years was illegal, insisting that new elections must be conducted.
In response to the crisis that trailed the court’s decision and the protracted political face-off between Governor Fubara and the state House of Assembly, the federal government had declared a state of emergency in Rivers, which suspended the operations of the governor and lawmakers until normalcy was restored.
The ongoing local government election, therefore, sets the stage for the full resumption of democratic governance in Rivers State at both the state and local government levels once the emergency rule lapses on September 18.