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.

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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.

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“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.

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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.”