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The opposition All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, on Sunday, called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to respect last week’s judgment of the Supreme Court, which declared it is illegal to run local government areas with caretaker committees.
This was as one of the replaced LG chairmen, Olobarimate Ollor, said the Supreme Court’s judgment had paved the way for the LG chairmen to return and enjoy the six-month tenure extension granted them by the state House of Assembly.
The 23 LG secretariats in Rivers State have been under police occupation since June 16 when the tenure of the elected chairmen ended.
They had attempted to stay in office for an extra six months, citing a recent law by the state Assembly, but Governor Fubara resisted the move and appointed caretaker committees to man the LG secretariats pending the conduct of the LG election in October.
The police, however, took over the LG secretariats, preventing neither the ex-LG chairmen nor the caretakers appointed by Fubara to gain access.
The Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, said the LG secretariats would remain under police occupation pending the decision of the court on the matter.
Last week, ruling on a suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 states, the Supreme Court declared the use of a caretaker committee to run LG as illegal.
In an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, the Publicity Secretary of the Rivers APC Caretaker Committee, Chibuike Ikenga, called on Fubara to obey the Supreme Court to disband the council caretakers that he constituted.
Ikenga said, “The Supreme Court is final. Their position that the caretaker committees are illegal is constitutional, so that is where we also stand. We must obey, we must comply with the judgment of the final court of the land.”
Ikenga said for far too long governors had been usurging the power of the LG and short-changing them in the disbursement of funds.
“We are aware particularly in Rivers State that Governor Fubara does not obey laws, he doesn’t obey court judgments neither does he obey the constitutional prescriptions and provisions, so we will not be surprised.
“It is important to note that the Court of Appeal gave a judgment and that same day governor Fubara came on air to say that he does not recognise any other person than his selected Oko-Jumbo and a committee of friends as the leadership of the House of Assembly and he said the House of Assembly members are gone irrespective of the position of the Court of Appeal’s judgment.
“These are some of the problems. So we’ll not also be surprised if Governor Fubara will go ahead to continue to confront the Supreme Court and refuses to obey the final judgment about local government autonomy from the Supreme Court.”
Also speaking with our correspondent, the immediate past Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Olobarimate Ollor, said the Supreme Court had spoken and it must be obeyed.
Ollor alleged that Fubara had been stifling LGs by withholding their funds.
“In the last three months of our first term, the governor held our funds. That of Emuoha LGA was held for four months from March, the other 21 local governments were held for more than three months.
“And even when the funds came, you know that there were deductions which are not explained to us what they’re actually meant for and what actually comes to the councils is opaque and not actually what is supposed to accrue to the local government.
“So, clearly, the position of the Federal Government and the Supreme Court to outlaw this our so-called caretaker is in order, completely in order because it has been seen as a conduit through which most governors to siphon what is meant for the local government to their own coffers.”
Asked if he will be asking to return to office following the law by the state House of Assembly extending their tenure by six months over the alleged failure of the governor to conduct LG elections, Ollor said the Attorney-General of the Federation would clarify that.
“Of course, it even makes it better now since the Supreme Court has said except you are elected, you cannot rule a local government. If the constitution allows us to stay for an extra six months then we should enjoy that. I see it as a plea by the people for us to stay on since the election has not been conducted instead of Rivers State to be short-changed by the governor using caretaker committees.”
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