Rivers crisis: Amaewhule-led Assembly Directs Police To Arrest “Imposter” Caretaker Chairmen
From ERIC MOORE, Port Harcourt
The Speaker Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly in Rivers State has called on the police to arrest persons parading themselves as the caretaker committee chairmen of the 23 local government areas in the state.
The lawmakers further asked the Police to immediately withdraw their personnel attached to such persons following what they referred to as the refusal of the state governor, Siminialayi Fubara, to dissolve the illegal caretaker committees in obedience to the Supreme Court judgement.
The lawmakers gave the directive after reviewing the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent Supreme Court judgement, which granted autonomy to the local government councils, during their seventh legislative sitting on Monday.
The resolution of the House titled, Public Notice, was signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi Alabo George.
After deliberating on the judgement, the lawmakers drew the attention of the public to the ‘unlawful activities’ of “the impostors who are still parading themselves as caretaker committee chairmen and members”, in flagrant disobedience to the Supreme Court judgement.
The House observed that the “illegal caretakers” were imposing rates and levies on the residents and unduly harassing uninformed members of the public despite the judgement and the provisions of the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law of 2023.
The lawmakers said the amended local government law forbade such individuals from assuming the positions they had so far occupied.
The House further called on all banks, government at all levels, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs), traditional institutions, residents and all stakeholders to stop doing business with “such unelected” individuals.
The statement continued: “They are by this notice further informed not to deal or transact business with these unelected individuals, who want to truncate our hard-earned democracy and are currently in contempt of injunctive orders of the Supreme Court.
“The police and other law-enforcement agencies have also been informed to commence the arrest of these impostors.”
The lawmakers said their directives were in pursuant to Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which guaranteed a system of local government by democratically elected local government councils and Section 64 (1) of Rivers State Local Government Law number 5 of 2018, which empowers the House to give directives that only those elected should run the affairs of the 23 local government councils in the state.