Rivers Crisis: Amaewhule-Led Assembly Orders Arrest Of ‘Impostor’ Caretaker Chairmen

The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, has instructed the police to arrest individuals falsely presenting themselves as caretaker committee chairmen for the 23 local government areas.

This move comes in response to what the Assembly perceives as Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s failure to disband these unlawful committees, despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating their dissolution.

The Assembly’s directive followed a review of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment, which granted autonomy to local government councils.

During their 7th legislative session, the lawmakers discussed the implications of the ruling and issued a resolution, signed by House Committee on Information Chairman Enemi Alabor George.

The resolution, known as Public Notice, highlights the ongoing illegal activities of these self-styled caretaker chairmen who continue to impose taxes and levy charges on residents, contrary to the Supreme Court’s decision and the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law of 2023. This law explicitly prohibits unauthorized individuals from holding such positions.

In their resolution, the Assembly called on banks, government entities, NGOs, traditional institutions, and the public to cease interactions with these unauthorized figures.

The Assembly’s notice warns that dealing with these unelected individuals undermines democracy and disobeys the Supreme Court’s orders.

“They are by this notice further informed not to deal or transact business with these unelected individuals, who want to truncate our hard-earned democracy and are currently in contempt of injunctive orders of the Supreme Court.

“The police and other law-enforcement agencies have also been informed to commence the arrest of these impostors”, the House said.

The lawmakers emphasized that their actions align with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees local government administration by elected councils, and Section 64(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law of 2018, which authorizes the Assembly to oversee local government affairs through elected officials only.