By Abiola Olawale
The political crisis rocking the Rivers State has once again taken another dimension in Emohua Local government Area as the Local Government Chairman of Emohua, Chidi Lloyd, insists that he won’t leave office after the expiration of his tenure on June 17.
This is as Lloyd announced that he is about to commence an empowerment scheme that would involve distributing machetes and other farming tools to residents of his local government area.
In a statement by his media aide, Bright Jossy, Lloyd said that the decision is to support the development of agriculture in the area.
According to him, the distribution of matchets and other tools is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to enhance agriculture and ensure food security in his council .
He revealed that the distribution would begin today Tuesday, June 18, 2024, and continue on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
He added that Tuesday’s distribution would be for farmers from wards 1 to 7, while those in wards 8 to 14 will receive theirs on Wednesday, June 19.
It would be recalled that Lloyd was a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly who was accused of hitting a colleague with a mace on the floor of the house ahead of the 2015 elections.
His announcement that he would commence distribution of matchets and other farm tools is coming shortly after his tenure of three years expired on Monday, June 17, 2024.
Meanwhile, the state Governor Siminalayi Fubara has ordered all 23 local government chairmen in the state to vacate their offices following the expiration of their tenures.
This is as the governor also directed heads of local government administration to take charge of the 23 council areas of the state.
Fubara gave the directive in a statewide broadcast, in the early hours of Tuesday.
Fubara said: “ Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) are hereby directed to immediately take charge of the councils with renewed vigour and readiness to serve and await further directives as we navigate towards even greater accomplishments together.
“As we move forward in making sure that the constitution is upheld, and that law and order are maintained as we continue to strive to provide leadership and direction for our people, I hereby direct heads HLGAs to continue to provide leadership in their respective local government areas.”
He thanked the elected chairmen and councillors for their service which, according to him, expired yesterday.
The New Diplomat reports that protests erupted in some parts of Rivers State on Monday as some youths stormed the Degema and Asari-Toru secretariats.
Youths who blocked the Degema council secretariat vowed to remain there till tomorrow as they burst into solidarity songs, demanding the exit of the Chairman, Michael John Williams.
According to the protesters, the three-year tenure of the chairman had expired on June 17.
At Asari-Toru Local Government Secretariat, youths barricaded the gate to stop their chairman and officials from gaining access to the premises.
The protest came after an ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, had issued a stern warning to the 23 chairmen in the state to respect the people and law by leaving their respective offices.
Dokubo who warned the 23 local government chairmen to avoid causing havoc in the state, said that the people of Rivers State are ready to flush out anyone of them who stay in office beyond midnight of Monday.
The New Diplomat reports that a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had granted an order voiding the Local Government Law No.2 of 2024, which seeks tenure extension for local government chairmen in the state.
The court in its ruling declared that Local Government Law No.2 of 2024, which extended the tenure of local government chairmen by six months, is inconsistent with the 1999 constitution and Section 9 (1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018 which fixed three years for local government chairmen and councillors.
The Rivers State Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024 was enacted by the lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
However, Fubara refused to assent to the proposed law. Following his refusal, the lawmakers loyal to Wike decided to override the veto of the State Governor.
The present chairmen and Councilors of the Local Government Councils in the Rivers State have been in office since the administration of the former Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.
