Twenty-seven members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have vowed to resist any attempt by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to install caretaker members in the 23 local government areas of the state.
The pro-Wike Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, disclosed this at a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Amaewhule, warned the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, not to send names of caretaker committees to the House to fill vacant positions in the LG councils, saying it would not be accepted.
He declared that the Assembly members would not accept such caretaker arrangement, describing it as an aberration.
This came as the tenure of the current 23 LG chairmen in the state expires on June 17, 2024.
He stated, “Many Rivers people have been calling and worried particularly with regards to the tenure of local government chairmen and vice-chairmen as their offices elapse in few days.
“People want to know the position. Let’s make it clearly that we have not received any request from the governor for members of the Caretaker committee to fill vacancies in local government.
“We have not received any such communication. We beleived that section 7 of the 1999 constitution as amended has guaranteed a system of local government with democratically elected local government officials.
“The governor should not send any list to us. We are not expecting any list because Caretaker committees are indeed an aberration.
“There will be nothing like caretaker committee. The constitution remains the ground norm and we will continue to abide by it.”
Meanwhile, a socio-political group, ‘The Supreme Council for Sim’, World-Wide has called on Governor Siminalayi Fubara to immediately nominate and send names to the Rivers State House of Assembly for appointment as Caretaker Committee Chairmen of 23 local government councils in the state.
Co-National Chairman of the Council, Oji Ngofa, made the call at a media briefing in Port Harcourt.
This came as the tenure of the elected local government chairmen would come to an end on June 17, 2024.
Recently, the council chairmen under the aegis of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, led by its Chairman, Allwell Ihunda, had vowed that they would remain in office after their tenure end.
Ihunda, who is also the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, at a news briefing said their decision was backed by the recent local government amendment law made by the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly which extended their tenure for another six months due to the failure of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, to conduct LG elections.
But Ngofa, a former Nigerian Ambassador the Netherland, also condemned attempts by the current LG chairmen to stay in office beyond their tenure, describing it as illegal.
While noting that Governor Fubara is the political leader in the State, the former envoy urged the governor not to be distracted but to continue the good work she is doing in the state.
Earlier, a Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State ordered the parties involved in the ongoing House of Assembly crisis in the state to maintain status quo.
The Court of Appeal gave the order in a suit marked CA/PH/198/2024 instituted by Hon. Martin Amaewhule & 24 others (Appellants) against Rt Hon. Victor Oko-Jumbo and five others (Defendants).
Amaewhule and others had approached the apex court seeking to vacate the Interlocutory Injunction of a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt which empowered Oko-Jumbo to keep on with the leadership of the state assembly.
Justice Charles Wali of the State High court had also ordered Amaewhule and 24 others to stop parading as speaker and lawmakers in the legislative arm of the state.
The Court also held that all the laws made by Amaewhule and others were in nullity untill the determination of the matter.
But the three man Appeal Court Panel made up of Hon. Justice Jimi Olukayode Bada, Hon. Justice Hamma Akawu and Hon. Justice Balkisu Bello Aliyu, which sat virtually urged the parties involved in the matter to maintain status quo and adjourned till 20th of July.
The Appeal Panel tasked the parties not to take any step that would affect the merit of the matter before it and stated that notice of appeal be served on the defendants before the adjourned date.
