A group identified as the Rivers Emancipation movement has sworn to embark on a street protest if Admiral Ibas goes ahead to appoint new local government caretakers for the 23 local government areas in the state.
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Information gathered over the weekend reveals that the sole administrator of Rivers state appointed and sworn in by President Tinubu following the lingering Rivers crisis, may soon appoint new local government caretakers. The reports further disclosed that the announcement may be made in a few days.
Recall that Fubara before his suspension directed the previously elected Chairmen to hand over power to their local government heads of administration following their termination of appointment by the supreme court.
The Rivers Emancipation group in an open letter sent to both Admiral Ibas and press men expressed their opposition of his plan to appoint new local government chairmen.
The statement, titled ‘Respect the rule of law: LG must not be run by appointed administrators’ was signed by its National President, Zoe Tamunotonye and National Secretary, Solomon Lenu.
It reads “The Rivers Emancipation Movement, on behalf of the people of Rivers State, expresses grave concern over reports of an imminent plan to appoint Local Government administrators.
“Such a move, if carried out, would be a direct violation of the Nigerian constitution and the recent Supreme Court judgment affirming the autonomy of local governments,
“The Supreme Court’s ruling has made it unequivocally clear that local governments must be governed by elected officials, not appointed administrators.
“Any action contrary to this legal provision will undermine democratic governance, erode public trust, and set a dangerous precedent for executive overreach.”
Copies of the statement were also sent to President, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); the Inspector General of Police and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police.
The Rivers Emancipation group urged the administrator of the state to respect the rule of law as well as the democracy of the state.
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“The people of Rivers State have always stood firm in defence of democracy and constitutional governance.
“Any attempt to impose unelected administrators on our local governments would not only be unlawful but would also provoke widespread concerns among citizens and stakeholders committed to upholding justice and good governance,” the statement added.
The group’s national president acting as a spokesperson stressed that it will not hesitate to take to streets in protests if the Administrator went ahead with his plan.
“If the Sole Administrator went ahead to appoint administrators in the local government areas, our reaction is going to be within democratic processes.
“We are going to protest and ensure that the rule of law is respected, even within the sole administrator’s confines.
“So we are going to use every democratic means, including protest, to ensure that the right thing is done in Rivers State,” he said.
The administrator of the state is yet to make any official statement following this development and opposition. Stay tuned to NaijaEyes for more on this developing story.
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