By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, swore-in appointed Chairpersons for the 23 Local Councils of Rivers State.
The swearing-in ceremony held at the Council Chambers of the Rivers State Government House.
This followed the earlier screening and confirmation of the nominees by the Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo led State House of Assembly earlier in the day .
The appointment of the Caretaker Chairpersons was sequel to the expiry on Monday June 17, of the three year tenure of the elected Local bosses .
The Source reports that before the appointment of the new interim leadership, Governor Fubara, had on Tuesday, June,18, ordered the Administrative Heads of the various Councils to take control pending further directives.
The 27 pro- Wike Lawmakers had earlier made futile moves to elongate the tenure of the out-gone Council Head by six months.
The efforts could not sail through, owing to the refusal of an Appeal Court in Port Harcourt to overturn an earlier verdict of a Rivers State High court quashing the amendment to the State’s Local Council Laws by the 27 pro-Wike legislators.
It will be recalled that Justice Dagogo Jack of the State High court had, in a ruling, declared the seats of the 27 pro-Wike Lawmakers vacant by virtue of their defection to the rival All Progressive Congress, APC.
They were sponsored by and elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
The court also proclaimed all their legislations, including the amendment to the State’s Local Council Laws and subsequent elongation of the tenure of the out gone Council Executives illegal, null and void.
The refusal of the Justice Jimi Olukayode led three-man panel of the Appeal Court to upturn the State High Court ruling on Friday June 14, resulted in the exit from office of the former Council Executives and the appointment and swearing-in of a caretaker leadership by the state Governor.
On Monday which marked the expiry day in office of the out-gone Local Council Chairmen, a number of them resisted and made to go back to their former offices. But they were confronted by hundreds of angry youths who chased them away. In Omuma Local Council, there were two fatalities- sadly a Police Officer and a member of a Local Vigilante Group.
In Obio-Akpor LGA, youths invaded the Headquarters pulled down and smashed Wike’s statue placed prominently on the premises. Their collective chant: “We no longer want Wike here.”
