A fresh crisis is brewing in Rivers State as 22 local council chairmen elected during the administration of former Governor Chibuike Amaechi have declared themselves the legitimate leaders of the state’s councils. The group, elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, announced their claim during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, following a Court of Appeal judgment reinstating them to office.
According to Benson Imie, former chairman of Andoni Local Government Council, “The Court of Appeal ruled that the Federal High Court’s judgement, which nullified the May 23, 2015, election, was a breach of our constitutional rights and set it aside.” The chairmen also cited a separate Supreme Court judgment delivered on the same day, which voided the October 5, 2024, council election for contravening Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) laws, creating vacancies in the local councils.
Imie argued that the 2015 elected council officials are the rightful occupants of the vacant positions. “The rightful persons to occupy the vacant positions at the local government councils are the duly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors from 2015, having been judicially recognised after a protracted legal battle.”
Reginald Ukwoma, former chairman of Etche Local Government Council, stated that the chairmen and councillors would not require another swearing-in, as they had already taken their oaths of office before their removal in 2015. “We have already been sworn into office. At the moment, we are awaiting the Certified True Copies of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judgements before resuming office.”
The group expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership and support of an independent judiciary, as well as to the judiciary itself for ensuring justice prevailed.
Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized Governor Ademola Adeleke for visiting former governor and ex-national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, in a bid to address the crisis surrounding the reinstated council chairmen and councillors in the state. The party described the visit as an attempt to seek a soft landing, which it said would not succeed.
In a statement issued by the APC’s director of media and information, Kola Olabisi, the party alleged that Adeleke’s visit to Akande’s residence in Ibadan was futile, accusing the governor of attempting to sidestep legal and political processes. “We want to impress upon Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers that Pa Akande is a democrat, and no amount of under-the-table arrangement would make the former governor work against the interest of his party.”
Adeleke, yesterday, held a two-hour closed-door meeting with Akande at the latter’s residence in Ibadan. The meeting centered on resolving the leadership crisis affecting local governments in the state and was part of the governor’s efforts to brief key stakeholders on the situation.
In response to Adeleke’s visit, Akande commended the governor for the visit, describing it as a positive step despite political differences. He called for an end to political violence, urging all parties to uphold the rule of law in resolving disputes.
In a related development, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has called on President Bola Tinubu to act decisively to prevent despotic elements from derailing Nigeria’s democracy. In an open letter titled “From Osun to Lagos and Rivers: Darkness Looms,” George expressed alarm over recent events in Osun, Lagos, and Rivers states, describing them as threats to democratic stability and rule of law.
George warned against repeating the mistakes of Nigeria’s First and Second Republics, which collapsed due to political instability. “Tinubu should not allow a reenactment of the collapse of these Republics,” he said. Turning to Lagos State, George criticized the reinstatement of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, calling it “absolute lunacy” and an “international embarrassment.”