Rivers govt kicks as House moves to extend tenure of LGA chairmen, councillors

RState Government has said that it is not a party to the tenure elongation of council chairmen and councillors, emphasising that the move by the State House of Assembly to extend the tenure of the chairmen negates the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The Guardian reported that the Rivers State House of Assembly, during its 120th Legislative Sitting, on Wednesday, further amended the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018 and other matters connected thereto.

According to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, the intention to amend Sections 9( 2), ( 3), and ( 4) of the Principal Law was to empower the House of Assembly, through the resolution of lawmakers, to extend the tenure of elected chairmen and councillors where it is considered impracticable to hold local council elections before the expiration of the council chairmen’s three- year tenure in office.

The Speaker explained that the amendment of the law was to ensure that local council elections are conducted before the expiration of the outgoing local council administration.

He further explained that upon the expiration of the tenure of the outgoing local council administration, the governor shall swear in newly elected chairmen and vice chairmen of the councils; but where the governor is unable or fails to perform the duty, the House shall, by resolution, mandate judicial officers or magistrates to perform the task. He stressed that the progressive purpose of the Bill cannot be overemphasised.

But the Special Adviser to Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Political Affairs and Strategy, Dr. Darligton Orji, in an interview, said that the executive was yet to receive any correspondence from the state Assembly.

He argued that the move by the lawmakers was just to heat up the polity once again, stressing that it was a pure case of tenure elongation, which violates the Nigerian Constitution.

He said: “It is laughable. You cannot make a law when there is no need for it. If Amaewhule understood the law, he should have known that the Constitution does not give the right for tenure elongation. That is another way of tenure elongation. For us, we are not bothered by it. At the appropriate time, when we get to the bridge, we will cross it, because I think it is a ploy to heat up the polity in the state again, but Rivers’ people know where they stand.