By Suleiman Anyalewechi
All things being equal, elections to fill in the leaderships vacuum created in the 23 Local Councils of Rivers State by the expiry, on Monday June 17, 2024, of the three year tenure of pro-Wike Executives will be conducted October 5, 2024.
The Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, Adolphus Enebeli, disclosed this on Monday, July 1, in Port Harcourt during a stakeholders meeting.
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He also unveiled guidelines and time table for the crucial Council polls.
The meeting was attended by representatives of various political parties, security agencies and other major stakeholders in the State. However, pro-Wike forces and the APC hierarchy were conspicuously absent.
Governor Sim Fubara had on Tuesday, June 19, appointed Caretaker Leadership for the Local Councils. But, police occupation of the Local Council Administrative Headquarters has forced the Interim Leaders to be operating from hotels, and other unofficial quarters.
An attempt by the erstwhile Council Executives to elongate their tenures were stoutly resisted by the state Government and some anti-Nyesom Wike forces who insisted that the Chairmen vacate their offices .
They were however, emboldened by an Appeal Court sitting in PortHarcourt, the state Capital.
Justice Jimi Olukayode, leading two other Justices of the Appeallet Court had, on Friday, June 14, refused to reverse an earlier Rivers State High Court order, nullifying the extension of tenure granted to the former Council Chairmen by the Speaker Martins Amaewfule led 27 members of State House of Assembly.
The 27 lawmakers who are pro-Wike, also, battled unsuccessfully to upturn an order declaring their seats vacant by Justice Dagogo- Jack of the Rivers state High Court ,on account of their defections from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to the All Progressive Congress, APC .
The Appeal Court which ruled to maintain status quo is, however, billed to deliver its final verdict on the suit filed by the embattled 27 Pro- Wike lawmakers challenging the legality of the Rivers state High Court ruling.
