S'Court Judgment: Wike's Men Set To Take Over Rivers State Councils' Secretariat
From Felix Dipriyeni, Port Harcourt
Baring any last minute change of mind, the 23 council chairman sacked by Governor Fubar of Rivers State are set to resume suites.
The 23 council chairmen and councillors, loyal to FCT Minister, Bar. Nyesom Wike, were all removed by Fubara following fall out with his God-father Shortly after he assumed office.
In their place, Fubara had hurriedly conducted local elections and swore them in on Sunday to close the leadership gap at the grassroots.
But following Supreme Court ruling on Friday, Februray 28,2025 declaring the October 5, 2024 council election null and void, the former elected council chairman are making arrangements with their supporters to storm various secretariats to continue form where they stopped.
They are said to be waiting for the certified true copy of Supreme Court Judgment to enable them present it to the security agents who will guide them to take cover their offices.
The chairman confided in THE BEAGLES NEWS that they are full prepared to implement the decision of the Apex Court and ensure that rule of law is obeyed to the later.
One of them, who don't want his name in print, said:"We are happy that the Apex Court has vindicated us. No stopping us. We are elected chairmen and remain so untill news set of chairmen are democratically elected.
"Our Governor should learn to do the right thing at least for once. There is no need to fight because it pay nobody any good. We are in the same PDP so why declare war on people that went out in the rain and in the sun to campaign for you to win and party that brought you to power.
"It is an abnormality and the height of ungratefulness to turn around and remove the ladder that you used to climb a tree. What will you use to come down? Let him see us as the brothers in governance and not as an enemy. But note that we are ready to resume office according to Supreme Court Judgment that is in our favour."
Recall that in another judgment by the same panel, the Supreme Court voided the October 5, 2024 local government election conducted in the state.
All members of the panel unanimously held that the election was conducted in violation of Section 150 of the Electoral Act 2024.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, in the lead judgment, agreed with the appellant, the All Progressives Congress (APC), that conditions precedent were not complied with before the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission held the election.
Justice Tukur held that "there was no evidence that voters’ registration continued until 90 days before the election and that the requisite notices were issued as required by law."
Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s judgment removed all the local government chairmen and councillors in the 23 local government areas of the state.
The verdict cancelled the elections that brought them to office saying the poll failed the tests of due process and legality.
With the ruling, the court averred that the current persons running local government councils as chairmen never existed in the eyes of the law.
They were never local government chairmen and councillors and all the monies they had so far spent in their various councils were done illegally.
The affected individuals must vacate their offices and stop parading themselves as local government chairmen and councillors if they truly loved the governor because doing so may lead to anarchy in the state.
Recall again that the Apex Court had ruled out running local government areas with caretaker committees.
An analyst said that with the pronouncement of the court, the governor may likely hand over the local government areas to the Head of Administration in each council pending the conduct of a fresh poll at the grassroots.
