Federal lawmaker and constitutional lawyer, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, has said that awaited Supreme court judgement on Local Government autonomy will not affect tenure expiration of Rivers LGA Chairmen on Monday.
Ugochinyere who made this known on Friday said the tenure of Rivers State LG chairmen expires in a few days and no court can give them tenure elongation because it’s against the law.
The lawmaker hailed Governor Similanayi Fubara for “displaying uncommon democratic character” by allowing Rivers LG chairmen to finish their three-year tenure without a y disruption despite the attacks.
Ugochinyere urged the outgoing chairmen to prepare their handover notes ahead of tenure expiration, adding that after Monday anyone found parading as LG chairman should be arrested.
Ugochinyere said, “The tenure of the present local government in Rivers state is ending in a few days, and Governor Fubara has allowed the local government system function democratically. He didn’t dissolve them even when he had issues with his predecessor, he allowed them to continue in office until the expiration of their tenure which will come on the 17th.
“So, whatever the Supreme Court is going to rule or not has nothing to do with their stay in office. If people are thinking that whatever the Supreme Court rules decides that you as a local government chairman that your tenure has democratically ended can now continue in office by Vico Kangaroo extension by lawmakers who have been sacked and then they went to a two bedroom in Emoha amended the local government law and say that local government, that their tenure is going to democratically expire, they can continue their stay in office? That’s not democracy.
”If you’re elected you’re elected for a timeline and that timeline ends soon and at the end of that they will able to conduct a fresh local government election. It has nothing to do with the unrealistic quest by a group of outgoing local government chairmen that their tenure is expiring to now say that whatever the Supreme Court rules they will remain in office. The judgement of the Supreme Court is about the autonomy of the local government and not about outgoing chairmen who wants to enjoy tenure elongation. There will be no tenure elongation in Rivers state. The issue before the Apex Court is about autonomy of the local government.” (Daily Trust)
