By Admin
Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, was on Tuesday seized by violence, following heavy gunfire that reportely accompanied the attempt by the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area Chairman, Hon Allwell Ihundah, to access his office.
The situation has caused widespread tension, leading to temporary closures of businesses in the vicinity.
According to reports, Ihundah arrived at the council secretariat accompanied by his security personnel, only to be confronted by youths who have occupied the premises since Monday. These youths are refusing to vacate despite the expiration of the three-year tenure of elected Local Government Chairmen and Councillors on June 17, as mandated by the Constitution.
The local government bosses have contested their removal, citing an alleged amendment to the Local Government Administration Law by the state assembly, which purportedly extended their tenure by six months. However, this amendment was nullified by a State High Court in Port Harcourt.
Governor Siminialayi Fubara addressed the situation in a statewide broadcast, bidding farewell to the elected officials and asserting that their legal tenure has ended. Nonetheless, tensions escalated today when Chairman Ihundah attempted to retrieve personal items from his office but encountered resistance from the occupying youths.
In response, police accompanying the chairman reportedly fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd, but the youths stood their ground, leading to continued unrest at the council premises.
Meanwhile, former Niger Delta militant warlord, Mujahid Asari Dokubo, has urged Local Government chairmen in Rivers State to acknowledge the end of their three-year tenure and “go home quietly.”
Speaking during the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir celebrations in Port Harcourt, Asari Dokubo stated that extending the tenure is unconstitutional. “Local government tenure has expired today (June 17, 2024). They should quietly go home. If they want to seek re-election in accordance with the Constitution, they should do so,” he said. He emphasized that any attempt to prolong their tenure beyond the constitutional limit is against the oath of office they swore to uphold.
Asari Dokubo warned the former chairmen not to provoke the “people’s power,” stating, “Their position is tenure-bound, and that tenure has expired. Let them not cause unnecessary problems for the people of the state. And I want to advise young people, that: look, don’t allow yourselves to be used.”
The Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, amended the law to extend the LG chairmen’s tenure by six months, alleging that Fubara failed to conduct local government elections. The State ALGON Chairman, Allwell Ihunda, who is also the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, maintains that this legislative amendment authorises them to stay in office.
He called on the youth of Rivers State to understand their role in protecting the state from self-serving individuals. Quoting a popular radio jingle, he said, “Love Rivers State or leave her alone. Don’t pull her down. Think what you can do for her, engage yourself in meaningful activities…”
“The people are showing people’s power. The people have gone on their own to take over local government secretariats because it is about the people, and nobody can say that we voted for three years’ tenure for a chairman and the chairman should exceed one second of that tenure.
“The people of Rivers State are exercising their power, and they are ready to take over until the government is ready to conduct a new election.”
