Politics

More Troubles In Rivers As LG Chairmen Sacked By Wike In 2015 Vow To Reclaim Offices

Published

4 months ago

March 4, 2025

Elected local government chairmen in Rivers State, who were sacked from office in 2015 have vowed to return to take over local government administration in the 23 local government areas of the state soon.

The chairmen of the 23 local government areas, their deputies and councillors in Port Harcourt said following an Appeal Court judgement which invalidated their sacking by the Nyesom Wike’s administration in 2015, that they are the right people to take over the leadership of the LGAs in the state.

It would be recalled that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, had on 23rd, May 23, 2015, conducted the local government election at the tail of the Chibuike Amaechi’s administration.

But, Chief Wike on resumption of office had sacked all the 23 local government chairmen and councillors elected in the 2015 LGA election.

Consequently, a federal high court had in its judgment on the matter nullified the matter on 9th July, 2015, voided the election conducted in 2015.

But 10 years after, on Friday 28 February, 2025, an Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt , upturned the decision of the lower court which sacked the 23 LGA chairmen, ruling that the 2015 election was without encumbrances.

Speaking on behalf of the elected Chairmen, Hon. Benson Imie, who was elected Chairman of Andoni LGA, noted that when the Supreme Court in its judgement on Friday voided the local government election conducted in the state in 2024 that vacancies ensued in the LGAs of state.

He said: “It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division has set aside the July 9, 2015 judgment of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt which nullified the Local Government Council election conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) on May 23, 2015.

“Delivering judgment on Friday, February 28, 2025 on the appeal filed by the Chairmen of the 22 Local Government Councils challenging the nullification of the 2015 Council election in Appeal Number CA/PH/172/2024 (Hon. Augustine P. Ngo & 22 Ors v. People’s Democratic Party & Ors.), the Appeal Court nullified and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court on grounds of violent breach and flagrant abuse of the Appellants’ right to fair hearing jealously protected and preserved under Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and plethora of case laws, holding that the election of the Appellants was without any legal encumbrances.”

Imie stated that following the Appeal and Supreme Court judgements that the right people to take over the local government administration in the state are those who where elected in the 2015 election.

He said: “It must be recalled that, at the time of the judgement referred to above, there was no vacancy at the Local Government Council and that constrained the Appeal Court from making consequential orders in relation thereto. On the other hand, and on the same date of Friday 28th February, the Supreme Court in one of the matters decided upon on the said date sacked all the council chairmen elected on 5th of October, 2024 for contravening the extant provisions of RSIEC Laws, among others.

“In the light of the foregoing, vacancies in various Local Government were ensued. In view of the above, the rightful persons to occupy the vacant positions at the Local Government Councils are the duly elected Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and Councilors in 2015 having been judicially recognized by the Court of Appeal after a protracted legal battle.”

Also, Reginald Ukwoma, who was elected as Etche LGA Chairman, noted that the chairmen and their councillors don’t need to be sworn in again, because they had taken the oath of office before they were removed from office in 2015.

Ukwoma said: “We don’t need swearing in again. We have been sworn into office, we cannot take another oath of office. At the moment we will wait to receive the Certified True Copies of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court judgements, them we will know when to resume office.”

Politics

Coalition: Abure-led LP Gives Obi 48 Hours To Leave Party

Published

4 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

The Abure-led faction of the Labour Party has given the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, a 48 hours ultimatum to leave the party haven formally joined the coalition party.

This was contained in a statement signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in Abuja, on Thursday.

He explained that the Labour Party under Abure’s leadership remains vehemently opposed to joining the coalition while dismissing members of the coalition as “power mongers whose only interest was self and not the people.”

The party warned Nigerians that the often mouthed ‘new Nigeria is Possible’ is a ruse and cannot be achieved with the assemblage of old, recycled, desperate and frustrated politicians in the coalition.

Ifoh said the party is aware that all those who mismanaged Nigeria over the years are the ones that gathered themselves in the coalition while noting that desperate politicians can’t birth new Nigeria.

He said, “We are aware of several nocturnal meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, lobbying them to join him in his new party. We’re also aware that a number of them has refused to defect with him.

“Labour Party has consistently said it is not part of the coalition and therefore, any of our members who is part of the coalition is given within 48 hours to formally resign his membership of the party.

“Labour Party is not available for people with dual agenda, people with deceptive persona. The party will not avail itself to individuals who have one leg in one Party and another leg elsewhere.

“People who in the morning they will claim to be in the Labour Party and in the evening they are in coalition.

“Nearly 70 per cent of the Nigerian population are youths who are tired of the old order, tired of gerontocrats deciding their fate. The new Nigeria that the youths are dreaming of, is not what can be realized from what we are seeing in the coalition.

“These people are opportunistic politicians who are only interested in relaunching themselves into circle of power, people who are desperate to continue holding on to power.

“The new Nigeria of our dream can only be realised through the Labour Party, and the party is willing to lead Nigerians along that trajectory.

“I therefore urge all members of the party to remain loyal and keep the party structure intact ahead of future elections.”

Politics

Only A Formidable Coalition Can Salvage Nigeria, Says Peter Obi

Published

5 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has given his full support for the coalition of opposition parties aimed at ending President Bola Tinubu’s rule in 2027.

He explained that it was a fact that no single group can change Nigeria alone, hence the need for people to come together to pursue the goal.

The former Amambra State Governor said this in a post on his verified X handle, on Thursday.

He said this just as the Julia Abure-led faction of the Labour Party has given him 48 hours within which to formally resign from the party or risk expulsion.

Obi in his post wrote, “Yesterday, the coalition members formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 Nigeria General Elections with Distinguished Senator David Mark serving as the National Chairman and H.E. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola serving as the National Secretary.

“Our commitment is to sacrifice and work together towards the 2027 General Elections, ensuring that Nigeria gets a competent, capable, and compassionate leadership that will prioritise the nation’s future by putting the welfare of Nigerians first.

REAS ALSO: Peter Obi Speaks As Port Harcourt Refinery Begins Production

“This decision was not made lightly. It comes from deep reflection on where we are as a country and what must be done to move forward.

“No one group can change Nigeria alone. To dismantle the structures that keep our people in poverty and insecurity, we must build bridges, not walls even when those bridges are uneasy. A New Nigeria is Possible. -PO.”

Politics

I Don’t Owe Anybody Explanation On Truce With Fubara – Wike

Published

8 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, declared that peace has returned to his home state, Rivers, saying he does not owe anyone an explanation on the terms of the truce.

Wike disclosed this during a Media chat monitored in Abuja.

According to him, several people had turned the crisis in Rivers State into an “oil well”, from which they were drawing illicit funds for their selfish interests, saying such fifth columnists are no longer happy that he has reconciled with the suspended Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara.

Details later…