A coalition of 30 civil society and non-governmental organisations who served as accredited election observers during the Rivers State local government election have declared that the exercise was transparent, free, fair, and credible. They also said the election was consistent with the extant laws of the country.

The declaration came at a media briefing in Abuja yesterday during which the coalition presented its report covering the activities of its field observers in the PreElection, Election and Post-Election periods.

Director General, Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness (CCLCA), Gabriel Nwambu, who addressed journalists on the report, said the election was conducted under extraordinary circumstance, following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the previous election, and the order given to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct a fresh poll amidst a state of emergency in Rivers. Nwambu said the coalition deployed a total of 830 observers across the state.