The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, has described Saturday’s local government elections as peaceful and orderly, calling them a decisive step toward restoring democratic governance at the grassroots.

Ibas, who monitored the exercise in Emohua, Ahoada East, and Port Harcourt, commended the conduct of voters and election officials, noting that their comportment created a calm and secure atmosphere.

“I am very happy with what I have witnessed today. The process has been notably peaceful, from the significant turnout to the orderly conduct of both voters and election officials. I am confident that at the end of the day, we will have a credible set of results that we will all be proud of as a state,” he told journalists.

He added that reports from all 23 local government areas aligned with his observations, stressing that the polls reflected the people’s desire for grassroots leaders they could identify with.

“Certainly, all indigenes of Rivers State want and deserve grassroots leadership they can call their own. That is what this process represents. Facilitating this foundational tier of democracy is a core objective of my mandate: to put the state back on a stable, democratic path and empower its people,” he said.

The exercise followed the Supreme Court’s February ruling, which nullified the October 5, 2024, local government elections conducted under the suspended administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.