Heady days are ahead in Rivers State following the insistence of local government chairmen to extend their tenure by six months, citing the Local Government Amendment Law passed by the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 House of Assembly members.
But this may have incensed some youths in the Degema Local Government Area of the state who on Monday morning stormed the council headquarters in protest, insisting that the tenure of the LG chairmen appointed during Nyesom Wike tenure was over.
Political Economist NG recalls that LG chairmen in the state under the aegis of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) have vowed to remain in office for the next six months
Mr. Allwell Ihunda, who is the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area and state ALGON Chairman, said they are empowered to stay in office for the next six months in accordance with the State Assembly law.
By their reckoning with the law under reference, there is no vacancy in the LG chairmen’s offices.
This is contrary to Governor Sim Fubara’s position that caretaker chairmen will be appointed to fill the positions of the departing LG chairmen.
Fubara had at an event in Port Harcourt recently warned the LG chairmen not to do anything that would rupture the peace of the state,
Amaewhule, at a news briefing last week, warned the governor against setting up caretaker committees to fill vacant positions in the 23 LGs of the state, saying the lawmakers would not accept such a move.
However, on Monday morning youths in Degema occupied the council secretariat and locked the entrance.
They chanted war songs and were seen protesting in a manner that suggests that they were not joking. They said they would remain at the secretariat gate to ensure that the outgoing LG chairman does not return to the council.
There were also pockets of protests in other LG secretariats across the state.
The youth said they would remain until Wednesday when work resumes and dared the council chairmen to come to the secretariat.
Following the development, the police have deployed strong contingent of personnel in strategic LG areas to stave off trouble.
Meanwhile, the outgoing chairman of Eleme LG, Obarilomate Ollor, has warned those eager to throw him out of office not to come close to the council, saying they will be resisted.
The next 48 hours will tell the way the pendulum will swing as a witness put, this is Wike fighting Fubara.
