Rivers Crisis: Get Ready To Leave Office – Fubara’s Ally Knocks LG Chairmen Over Impeachment Calls
Chijioke Ihunwo, a staunch supporter of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, has urged the Rivers State House of Assembly to refrain from considering a new impeachment process against the governor, as it would ultimately prove futile.
In a press conference held in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Ihunwo, who serves as the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria in Rivers State, told Local Government chairmen to prepare to vacate office immediately after their tenure expires.
According to him, the youths of the state are fully prepared to oppose any such endeavour, which he deemed as self-serving.
Chijioke Ihunwo, a former Chairman of the youth group in Obio/Akpor, the local government area of the Speaker of the State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, said Governor Fubara had not done anything wrong to warrant an impeachment.
Naija News understands that the impeachment call was made earlier by Tony Okocha, Chairman of the APC’s caretaker committee in the state.
Also, the Legal Adviser of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Rivers State Chapter and Chairman of Andoni LGA, Irastus Awoto, declared earlier that the democratically elected local government chairmen would not vacate their offices at the scheduled end of their tenures in June, citing legal provisions for an additional six-month stay.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Awoto emphasized that the absence of scheduled local government elections has prompted the need for this extension.
“Our tenure was originally set to expire in June 2024. However, the Assembly has recognized that no actions have been taken to conduct subsequent elections and, wisely, they’ve decided to prevent a governance vacuum,” he explained.
According to him, this decision is backed by the local government law, which mandates that current chairmen remain in office until new elections are conducted.
Reacting, however, to the developments, Ihunwo urged Okocha to refrain from making such inciting comments in the interest of peace in the state.
He has asked the 23 Local Government Chairmen, whose three-year term expires on June 18, to prepare to leave office despite the Local Government Law amendment that aimed to extend their tenure.
The youth leader has called upon President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to closely monitor the event in Rivers State and take action against key individuals, such as the FCT minister.
He has urged Fubara to remain steadfast in implementing his policies that prioritize the people, as the youth are ready to defend his mandate at all times.
Naija News understands that there has been a conflict between Governor Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly since mid-2023.
The initial impeachment process was halted when President Tinubu intervened and brokered a truce between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, whom the Assembly members are loyal to.
One of the terms of the peace agreement was the recognition of the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.
In a recent outburst, Governor Fubara criticized the Assembly’s attitude towards his administration, stating that the legislators only exist due to his generosity after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as permitted by Section 109, sub-section 1, paragraph g of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The post Rivers Crisis: Get Ready To Leave Office – Fubara’s Ally Knocks LG Chairmen Over Impeachment Calls appeared first on Naija News.
