Politics
Rivers LG crisis gets messier as Amaechi-era chairmen claim reinstatement
When it is looking like the festering political debacle in Rivers State had been put to rest by recent Supreme Court judgment, another problem emerged to compound the intense struggle for political dominance in the state.
The 22 local council chairmen elected during the administration of former Governor Chibuike Amaechi yesterday declared themselves the legitimate leaders of the state’s councils.
The group, elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, disclosed their claim during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, following a Court of Appeal judgement reinstating them to office.
The council chairmen were removed from office in 2015 by a Federal High Court ruling shortly after Governor Nyesom Wike assumed office. However, the recent decision of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, delivered on February 28, 2025, nullified the 2015 ruling, stating that the chairmen’s election was conducted without any legal impediments.
In their address, Mr Benson Imie, former chairman of Andoni Local Government Council, stated that the court had criticised the Federal High Court for violating the appellants’ right to a fair hearing by refusing to consider motions to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register for the 2015 election.
“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,” Imie said.
The chairmen also referenced a separate Supreme Court judgement 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,” he said.
Speaking at the briefing, 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,” Ukwoma said.