Rivers State governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, yesterday cried out over the decision of the Rivers State Police Command, to barricade entrances into the secretariats of 22, out of the 23 local government councils in the state, thereby denying the newly sworn in caretaker committees access to the councils.
A Federal High Court had on Thursday nullified the election of 22 local government chairmen and councilors, prompting Wike to immediately submit names of nominees for chairmen and members of caretaker committees for the local government councils to the Rivers State House of Assembly, where they were screened and cleared and thereafter sworn in by the governor at a brief ceremony at Government House, Port Harcourt late Thursday night.
The State Police Command, who took over the council secretariats early yesterday morning, said it based its action on intelligence it received that some persons were planning disturbance of public peace in reaction to the judgment of the Federal High Court.
This is as the All Progressives Congress (APC) described the setting up of caretaker committees based on the judgment of the Court as illegal, saying the judgment of the Court by Justice Lambo Akanbi was unacceptable to it.
Wike, who spoke yesterday at Government House, Port Harcourt while inaugurating the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission (RSJSC) and the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), wondered why the Police will chose not to obey an order of the Federal High Court which nullified the election of the council officials.
The governor said, “But, you can see what is happening in the country today and that is the change everybody is talking about. The change the Nigerians expect is what we are seeing this morning. We woke up this morning and the police have taken over all the council secretariats. They said that is the directive of the Inspector-General of Police. They said nobody should enter the councils. I knew this will happen that is why I didn’t dissolve the councils.
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