The Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly has called on the police to arrest persons parading themselves as the caretaker committee chairmen of the state’s 23 local government areas.
The lawmakers further asked the police to immediately withdraw their personnel attached to such persons following what they referred to as the state Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s refusal to dissolve the caretaker committees in obedience to the Supreme Court’s judgement.
The lawmakers loyal to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, gave the directive after reviewing the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent Supreme Court judgement, which granted autonomy to the local government councils during their 7th legislative sitting.
Enemi Alabo George, the House Committee on Information chairman, signed the House resolution entitled Public Notice.
After deliberating on the judgement, the lawmakers drew the public’s attention to the unlawful activities of “the impostors who are still parading themselves as caretaker committee chairmen and members.”
The House observed that the “illegal caretakers” were imposing rates and levies on the residents and unduly harassing uninformed public members despite the judgement and the provisions of the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law of 2023.
The lawmakers said the amended local government law forbade such individuals from assuming the positions they had held so far.
The House further called on all banks, governments at all levels, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), traditional institutions, residents, and all stakeholders to stop doing business with such unelected individuals.
“They are, by this notice, further informed not to deal or transact business with these unelected individuals who want to truncate our hard-earned democracy and are currently in contempt of the Supreme Court’s injunctive orders.
“The police and other law-enforcement agencies have also been informed to commence the arrest of these impostors”, the House said.
The lawmakers said their directives were covered by Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which guaranteed a local government system by democratically elected local government councils and Section. 64(1) of Rivers State Local Government Law number 5 of 2018, which empowers the House to give directives that only those elected should run the affairs of the 23 local government councils in the state.
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