All hope for the chairmen of the 23 local government areas of Rivers State to remain in office after June 18th appears to have been dashed due to the recent position of the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt.
The three-man Appeal Court panel, presided over by Justice B. B. Aliyu, after hearing arguments from the parties, adjourned the case till June 20th, 2024.
The Chairman of Opobo Nkoro Local Government Council, Clifford Enyiada-Cookey-Gam, and six others had dragged the Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, and others to court over the position of the faction of the State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.
The chairmen of the local government councils are expected to vacate office on June 17th at the expiration of their three-year tenure.
By June 18th, the governor is expected to swear in caretaker committee chairmen following the failure of the government to conduct elections for chairmen and councillors.
Some local government council chairmen had threatened not to leave office at the expiration of their tenure on June 17th, following a law passed by Amaewhule-led lawmakers, which has now been nullified by a state high court.