Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced that the 23 local government councils in the state would operate from alternative secretariats. This decision follows the police sealing off the councils on Tuesday.
Governor Fubara made this announcement after swearing in the new caretaker committee chairmen for the local governments on Wednesday in Port Harcourt. The governor stated that the caretaker chairmen could operate from any location due to the police barring access to the council offices.
The police had barricaded the secretariats with patrol vans and armed officers, preventing the newly appointed chairmen from entering. This move came after a violent clash between supporters of Governor Fubara and those of his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the current Federal Capital Territory Minister, in Omuma Local Government Area. The clash resulted in the deaths of a policeman and a local security operative.
The state police command had taken control of the local government headquarters to prevent further violence and maintain order. The conflict between Fubara and Wike, ongoing since last year, has caused significant unrest in the state, including the bombing of the state House of Assembly.
The tenure of the previous local government chairmen expired on Monday. Despite this, they insisted on remaining in office, citing a new law passed by the Wike-loyal Assembly that extended their term by six months. Fubara criticized this extension as unconstitutional.
In response, Fubara appointed new caretaker chairmen, urging them to avoid violence and maintain peace. He emphasized the need for an audit of the local government finances from the past three years, directing the Auditor-General to begin immediately. Fubara stressed the importance of paying the outstanding financial entitlements to the outgoing officials.
Fubara assured that the new caretaker chairmen’s terms would be short, as steps to conduct local government elections would soon commence. Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, loyal to Fubara, confirmed the nominees for the caretaker committees.