A coalition of over 40 Rights Groups led by the Civil Liberty Organization, CLO, on Friday, June 21, 2024, issued a notice of an imminent showdown with the Nigerian Police Force should it fail to vacate the premises of the Rivers State Local Council Headquarters within seven days.
The Source reports that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, had, on Tuesday, June 18, in the wake of the expiry of the tenure of the elected Council Executives, ordered the takeover of the Secretariats of the 23 Local Councils by Police Operatives.
He had premised the development on the need to maintain peace, stability and security in the state.
The political temperature of Rivers State had soared following the unwillingness of the Council Executives to vacate their offices, just as some forces loyal to Governor Sim Fubara were set to force them out.
An attempt by the pro- Nyesom Wike legislators to elongate their tenure by six months crashed following the ruling of a Rivers State High Court that declared the move a nullity.
Justice Dagogo-Jack while delivering judgment on a motion on notice filed by the four pro- Fubara Lawmakers led by Victor Oko- Jumbo declared the seats of the pro-Wike members of the Assembly loyal to the vacant.
The trial Judge held that the Lawmakers are no longer members of the legislative body, having earlier resigned their membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that sponsored them for the election in to the office.
Similarly, he had, also, declared illegal, null and void all their legislations after their defections to the All Progressive Congress APC, including the elongation of the tenure of the elected Council Executives.
A last ditch effort to overturn the Lower Court’s verdict by the defected Lawmakers could not sail through at the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt .
The Appeal Court’s three- man Justices led by Jimi Olukayode ,had on June 14 opted for the maintenance of status quo, rather than a reversal order as prayed by the embattled pro-Wike legislators in their appeal notice .
The Appeallet Court’s judgement paved the way for Governor Fubara to appoint Interim Council Leaders on Tuesday June 19.
However ,the appointed Council Officials have been operating from different unorthodox locations since being sworn into office, due to the police barricade of the Councils’ Headquarters.
The IGP has insisted that the Police presence will only be vacated after the Appeal Court would have delivered its final verdict on the appeal filed by the Speaker Martins-Amaewfule led pro- Wike law makers.
The Appeal Court on Thursday, June 20, reserved ruling for a date to be communicated to the parties later .
But the Civil Society Groups led by Comrade Enefaa Georgewill, South-south Zonal Coordinator of CLO, are not persuaded by the position of IGP Egbetokun. They have, therefore, issued a seven-day ultimatum for the Police to withdraw from the various Council Headquarters or face a Statewide mass action.
“It is insulting and demeaning to the people of the State for the Police to occupy the Secretariats of the Local Governments. The police should stop turning Rivers state into a police state.
“A competent Court of jurisdiction has ruled that the Martins Amaewhule led House of Assembly has no right to extend the tenure of the past Chairmen and the Police should obey the subsisting judgement and remain neutral in the matter pending the final ruling by the Appeal Court” Enefaa stated.
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