Ex-Rivers LGA chiefs tackle Fubara over caretaker committees, threaten to occupy offices

Former local government chairmen in Rivers State on Friday faulted the continued stay of caretaker committee chairmen in office weeks after the Supreme Court declared such as illegal in the councils.

The Supreme Court had early this month granted total autonomy to the 774 LGAs in the country.

The apex court in a ruling on a suit filed by the Federal Government ordered the latter to withhold revenue allocations of local councils that were not under the control of elected officials.

At a media briefing in Port Harcourt, the former council chairmen decried Governor Similaye Fubara’s support for the caretaker committee chairmen’s stay in office despite the Supreme Court ruling that outlawed such in the country.

They threatened to force their way into their various councils and match the governor with force if the situation persisted.

The ex-council chiefs are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

READ ALSO: LP ward executives in Rivers suspend actress Hilda Dokubo

The former chairman of Emohua LGA, Chidi Lloyd, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to order the arrest of the caretaker committee chairmen.

He said: “We are not cowards. If this continues, we will go back to our local government and force ourselves into the council. That’s exactly what we are going to do.

“We have kept quiet because of the kind of leader we have who continues from time to time to preach the path of peace. We are not cowards.

“If this continues, we will exacerbate the already exacerbated situation. We are not cowards. We are calling on the police to act fast. The State House of Assembly had written to the Inspector-General of Police. We do not know why the police in Rivers are foot-dragging and saying that things are done properly.”

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