Sacked Rivers LG chairmen vow to take over secretariats

The former Local Government Chairmen in Rivers States who were sacked in 2015 under ex-Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration have vowed to return to take over the secretariats in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

The former Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area, Benson Imie, disclosed this on behalf of the 23 LGAs chairmen in a briefing with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Imie recalled that they were elected in an election conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) on May 23, 2015, at the tail of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.

He said Wike sacked them on assumption of office, adding that a Federal High Court, in a judgement delivered on July 9, 2015, nullified the matter while voiding the 2015 LG elections.

Imie further stated that after 10 years, an Appeal Court in Port Harcourt, on February 28, 2025, upturned the decision of the Federal High Court, ruling that the 2015 election was without encumbrances.

He explained that the Appeal Court nullified and set aside the Federal High Court judgement.

S’Court verdict: Fubara orders civil servants to oversee Rivers LGs

According to him, the judgement was set aside on grounds of violent breach and flagrant abuse of the appellants’ right to fair hearing.

Imie said the judgement recognised that appellants’ right to fair hearing was jealously protected and preserved under Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended);

“And the plethora of case laws holding that the election of the appellants was without any legal encumbrances,” Imie stated.

Imie said with the recent Supreme Court’s judgement, they were the rightfully elected local government chairmen.

Also speaking, the former Chairman of Etche LGA, Reginald Ukwuoma, said they did not need to be sworn into office or take any oath of office as they had done that in 2015.

“At this moment, we will wait to receive the Certified True Copies of the Appeal Court and the  Supreme Court judgements; then, we will know when to resume office,” Ukwuoma said.

The Star