Youths occupy Rivers council secretariats as 21 chairmen vow to return to office

Fubara sends caretaker c’ttee nominees to state Assembly
There is palpable fear across the 23 local council areas in Rivers State, following the council chairmen’s tenure extension crisis, as 21 out of the 23 council chairmen have vowed to return to office tomorrow after the Sallah holidays. 
   
Aside from the chairmen of Opobo-Nkoro and Bonny Local Government Areas, other council heads threatened to resume work tomorrow in compliance with the amendment of the Local Government Law No.2 of 2024, by Martins Amaewhule-led Assembly, which extended their tenure for six months. 
   
Meanwhile, youths in the Kalabari Kingdom, including Asari Toru, Akuku- Toru and Degema Local Council Areas in the early hours on Monday, were seen chanting solidarity songs, locking the council entrance gates, and demanding the exit of the Chairmen.
   
The youths at Degema Council Secretariat vowed to remain there till tomorrow to stop the Chairman, Michael John Williams, and other elected officers from gaining access to their offices.
  
However, the police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, has assured that the police are monitoring and handling the situation. 
    
Recall that a state High Court, in Port Harcourt, had, last month, nullified the tenure extension for the chairmen, declaring the Local Government Law No.2 of 2024, which extended the tenure of the chairmen by six months as invalid. 
   
Also, the Appeal Court, in its ruling last weekend, urged both parties in the matter to maintain the status quo, meaning that the council chairmen should adhere to the High Court’s ruling until the appeal decides their fate on the adjourned date, July 20, 2024.
 
MEANWHILE, The Guardian gathered that Governor Siminalayi Fubara has sent names of the seven-man caretaker committee for the 23 councils to the state Assembly, led by Victor Oko Jumbo for screening.
   
Reacting to the developments, a policy analyst, Sunny Dada, and a Political Analyst, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said that following the subsisting court order, which declared the LG Law No. 2 of 2024, invalid, the outgoing council chairmen should honourably leave office. 

Dada said: “Anything to the contrary would be a direct affront on the rule of law. I expect the Rivers State Police Command to be proactive by ensuring that they do the needed deployments to the various council headquarters even from this evening to avoid arson and other nefarious activities by criminals and fifth columnists that may take advantage of the situation.
   
“Political stakeholders should also talk to the actors, especially the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the outgoing chairmen to give peace a chance.”