Breaking: Court restates 22 sack LG chairmen, councilors in Rivers State

By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News

A court in Bayelsa has ordered the reinstatement of the 22 local government councillors and chairmen who were sacked last week.

The court directed the Inspector general of police to provide security for them.

The chairmen and Councillors were elected on the 23 of May, 2015 by the end Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.

The state governor, Nyesom Wike had few days ago sworn in caretaker chairmen after the a judge of the federal high court in Port Harcourt, ordered the dismissal of t he APC men.

The caretaker chairmen sworn in by Wike were not able to assume office as police suddenly took over all local government secretariats in the state.

Details to follow…

Breaking: Court restates 22 sack LG chairmen, councilors in Rivers State

Rivers State LG Council: PDP crying wolf

 

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State Chapter says its attention has been drawn to a press release by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, alleging partisanship by the Federal Government and the Nigeria Police in the decision by the Police to secure and forestall breakdown of law and order in Rivers State following the illegal dissolution of 22 Local Government Councils and replacement with Caretaker Committees by the Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike.

APC Rivers State

A press statement signed by Rivers APC Chairman, Davies Ibiamu Ikanya says the APC as a political party fails to see the need for such accusation by the PDP while it refused to caution Governor Wike to resist the lure of polluting the hallowed corridor of justice through the encouragement and purchasing of what APC termed ‘Jankara’ court rulings as witnessed yesterday in Port Harcourt.

The statement reads in full:

For the avoidance of doubt and to situate the issues in their proper perspective, it is important to clarify that following suspect and hostile utterances and body language of the Rivers State Governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike from the moment he was sworn in on May 29, the 23 Local Government Council Chairmen in Rivers State, on behalf of themselves and their Councils, approached the Nigerian Industrial Court seeking an interim injunction which was granted on Monday, 22nd June, 2015 in Suit No: NICN/YEN/26/2015.

The Order which will remain in force until the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for Interlocutory Injunction, restrained the Governor of Rivers State, the Rivers State House of Assembly and the Attorney-General of Rivers State and their agents from dissolving, suspending, sacking terminating or in any manner whatsoever, interfering with the tenure of office of the 23 Local Government Councils of Rivers State.

The Order also restrained the Inspector-general of Police or his agents and privies from enforcing any purported action detrimental to the existence of the 23 Chairmen and Councils in Rivers State.

The Order, given under the hand of Hon. Justice J.T. Agbadu-Fishim, presiding over the NICN Court, holden at Yenagoa, Bayelsa State was duly served on all parties including the Inspector-General of Police and others.

Surprisingly to the APC and its members, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice Lambo Akanbi reversed his earlier decision to adjourn sine die a similar case on same subject matter without serving hearing notices to the Council Chairmen despite the pendency of an appeal fixed for hearing on October 12. After a brief sitting, Justice Akanbi gave a ruling voiding the election of 22 Council Chairmen and their Councillors elected into office in the May 23 Council elections in Rivers State.

Purportedly acting on the sham ruling by Justice Akanbi, the Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike immediately dissolved the 22 Councils despite the fact that there is a subsisting Order of Interim Injunction by the NICN Court of Yenagoa which he, the State House of Assembly and other parties were duly served. Obviously, his action was illegal and aimed at humiliating the subsisting Order issued under the hand of Hon. Justice J.T. Agbadu-Fishim.

It is worthy of mention that the NICN Court which issued its Order of Interim Injunction on the 22nd of June, 2015 is of equal or cognate jurisdiction with the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt presided over by Justice Lambo Akanbi which handed his curious ruling just yesterday [July 9, 2015].

Obviously, the Nigeria Police were properly advised to obey and stick to an Order duly issued way back on June 22, 2015 until vacated or superseded by a judgment or Order of same court or of a higher court.

The APC simply sees the accusation by the PDP against the Federal Government and the Nigeria Police as cheap blackmail aimed at eliciting underserved sympathy from the Nigerian populace and the international community. However, we are happy that both Nigerians and the international community are discerning enough to see through the antics of the PDP.

The APC would like to re-affirm our belief in the new leadership of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to continue to provide an impartial service to all irrespective of political affiliation in the spirit of the new order in Nigeria.

Rivers State LG Council: PDP crying wolf

PDP asks police to unseal LG council in Rivers

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has demanded the immediate unsealing of local government councils in Rivers State by the Police.

Olisah Metuh

The party described as unconstitutional, reprehensible abuse of power and brazen show of partisanship, the action of the APC-led Federal Government-controlled police in barring caretaker committees appointed by the state government from taking charge of the councils.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, said the action of the police was an affront to the ruling of the High Court, which on Thursday dissolved the 22 local government councils.

The sacking of the councils made the State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to appoint caretaker committees to administer them.

Metuh said, “It was curious that the police allowed the dissolution of local government councils and appointment of caretaker committees in APC-controlled Plateau and Kaduna States, even when they were without the orders of the court but elected to clamp down on that of Rivers State, which came as a result of judicial pronouncement.”

He, therefore, charged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to come out clean on the matter and assure the nation of the non-partisanship of the police by ordering the immediate unsealing of the councils.

Metuh said Nigerians and the international community should note the development which “is yet another clear indication that the Nigerian police may have become a partisan and compromised instrument in the hands of the APC-Federal Government to destabilise PDP-controlled states, particularly Rivers State.”

 

PDP asks police to unseal LG council in Rivers

Rivers LG Council: This is travesty of justice - APC laments

 

The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC is saddened that despite his earlier ruling to stand down the matter until the appeal questioning the jurisdiction of his court is determined by the Appeal Court from October 12, Justice Lambo Akanbi, this morning, handed out ruling on a matter that was awaiting a decision of the

Appeal Court.

Without any hearing notice to parties except, perhaps, to the PDP, Justice Akanbi presiding over Federal High Court 1 in Port Harcourt commenced sitting this morning and quickly handed down a ruling in respect of a matter between PDP and other parties including the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission [RSIEC] voiding the election of 22 Local Council Chairmen and Councillors in Rivers State. He claimed to have earlier ordered that the elections should not hold.

However, that position by Justice Akanbi is far from what transpired in the matter.

The truth of the matter remains that there is a pending appeal on the substantive case in which same Justice Akanbi on the 29th of April gave as reason for adjourning the matter sine die until the appeal is dispensed with beginning from 12th October. How come Justice Akanbi decided to bring forward the matter without even serving hearing notices to the parties? Why does Justice Akanbi want to ambush and foist on the Court of Appeal a situation of hopelessness? What business does Justice Akanbi have in reopening the matter other than fragrant display of judicial rascality?

It is important to re-iterate here that APC applied to join in the matter which the Judge turned down and APC immediately proceeded to appeal that refusal to be joined and that appeal is also pending. Why has Justice Akanbi acted in a manner aimed at frustrating that appeal?

As a law-abiding party, the APC would like to appeal to the elected Chairmen, Councillors and its numerous members across Rivers State to disregard any ruling of any court other than that of the Court of Appeal which will sit on October 12, 2015 of which notice of hearing has been served on all parties.

More so, APC is not bound by the court ruling handed down today by Justice Akanbi because APC duly applied to join in the matter and when the learned Justice refused the joiner application, the party proceeded to appeal that refusal, an appeal that is still pending at the Court of Appeal. Why did Justice Akanbi not wait for the Court of

Appeal ruling on the APC application before proceeding with the matter? Therefore, the APC will wait and abide by the decision of the Court of Appeal, in line with the earlier Order of Justice Akanbi himself that the matter can only be reopened after it has been dispensed with by the Court of Appeal which has already served all parties notice of hearing.

The APC would like to advise Governor Nyesom Wike against misleading himself through curious court rulings to act outside the rule of law. The Governor should be reminded that the Order of the Nigerian Industrial Court sitting in Yenagoa restraining him and other parties from tampering with the elected Local Government Chairmen and Councils is still subsisting. Let him hold himself responsible for any action that may result from any ill-advised foray into the hallowed arena of justice on this matter.

The APC would also like to advise the Governor to put to good use the loans he has so far collected from banks and not running around courtrooms and chambers with it in search of judicial officers to compromise. The Governor should quickly discard the toga of a governor who goes about compromising and distracting judges and destabilising

the judicial system. It does not matter whether his tenure will be for only 2 or 3 months, Rivers people deserve value for every of their kobo.

Rivers LG Council: This is travesty of justice - APC laments

Assembly okays caretaker committees for Rivers LGs

The Rivers State House of Assembly has cleared caretaker committee chairmen and members into 22 out of the 23 local government areas of the state.

The development is coming on the heels of the sacking of elected council chairmen by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

Members of the House began the screening of those nominated to man various local government areas at about 4.45pm on Thursday.

The legislators had gone into a closed-door session for about four hours before getting into the business of the day (screening).

Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Ikuinyi Ibani, told members of the House that the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had sought a leave of the House to screen and confirm the nominees.

Assembly okays caretaker committees for Rivers LGs

Rivers State: PDP Chairman Applauds Dissolution of LG Council Chairmen

… Commends Court For Upholding Rule of Law

The chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bro Felix Obuah says the nullification of the illegal Local Government Council election in the State by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt is a welcome development.

The PDP chairman said by this impartial judgement, the Court has once more strengthened the confidence and trust of the people in the Nigerian judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

Reacting to the double court victory recorded by the striking out of the All Progressives Congress, APC’s application of withdrawal by Honourable Justice Bello Quadri in one of the suits and the dissolution of the illegal Council Chairmen and Councilors by Honourable Justice Lambo Akanbi, all of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt through a statement issued on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, the PDP State Chairman thanked the leadership and members of the party for their calm disposition while the litigation lasted despite all acts of intimidation and brigandage by the APC to provoke them.

Thanking God for vindicating the party’s position that there was no council election in the State, Bro Obuah noted that the court victory is not only for the PDP but also the entire Rivers people who are the beneficiaries of the sanity and rules of law that have been ushered in by the council election nullification

He however appealed for calm and co-operation from all, saying that the Nyesom Wike led-government is humane and capable of instituting a legacy that will serve the general good of all Rivers people being the Governor of Rivers State and not Governor of PDP.

Bro Obuah also wishes to congratulate the PDP leadership, all the members and supporters of the party across the 23 Local Government Areas for their patience, support and prayers throughout the trying period, stressing that the PDP will pay them back by being considerate, magnanimous and God-fearing in victory

Rivers State: PDP Chairman Applauds Dissolution of LG Council Chairmen