No Tenure Elongation For Rivers LG Chairmen, Appeal Court Rules
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Court of Appeal has dashed the hope of the 23 local government chairmen in Rivers State who went to court to seek elongation of their tenures.
This followed the appellate court’s dismissal of two appeals filed by the council chairmen loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, whose tenure elapsed, but hinged their remaining in office following
Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly elongating their tenure by six months.
The appeals marked CA/PH/137M/2024 and CA/PH/145M/2024, were instituted by the former chairman of Opobo/Nkoro LGA, Enyiada Cookey-Gam, and six others, wherein they had sought an order of court setting aside the decisions of the High Court in Rivers State regarding the elongation of their tenure.
Delivering ruling on Monday, the Port-Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal held that the two appeals lacked merit and consequently struck them out.
The Court of Appeal panel held that the two matters grossly violated the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, on tenure of local government council chairmen.
The three-man panel, presided over by Justice B. B. Aliyu, upheld the decision of the High Court, which had declined to extend the tenures of the chairmen whose positions expired in June and dismissed the case for lack of merit.
The Court of Appeal found the appeals to be without merit and consequently struck them out.
Recall that the embattled former chairmen of the local government councils were vacated from office on June 17, at the expiration of their three-year tenure.
Following the expiration of their tenure, governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, on June 19 inaugurated the new caretaker chairmen hours after the House of Assembly, led by Speaker, Victor Jumbo, screened and confirmed the nominees.
The caretaker committee chairmen for the 23 LGAs were sworn in at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
But following crisis arising from the refusal of the local government chairmen, whose tenures expired to leave office, the police barricaded the local government secretariats.
Recall that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, directed the continuous barricade of all local government secretariats in Rivers State amid the political tension.
According to him, the measure came in response to violent clashes and aimed to ensure peace and order.
Egbetokun emphasised the need for the police presence at the secretariats until a court judgment resolves the controversy over the tenure of local government council chairmen in the state.
He clarified that the police presence is intended to maintain peace and order, not to intimidate any parties involved.
