Tension In Rivers As Wike’s Men Move To Take Over LGAs

Tension has risen in Rivers State as 21 former local government chairmen have vowed to reclaim their offices on March 3, citing a Supreme Court ruling extending their tenure.

Twenty-one out of twenty-three former local government chairmen in Rivers State aligned to Nyesom Wike have announced that they will return to office on Monday, March 3, 2025.

These chairmen believe that their tenures have been extended following a Supreme Court ruling on Friday, February 28, 2025. The court recognized the legislature led by Martins Amaewhule as the legitimate Rivers State House of Assembly, which had earlier extended their time in office.

The decision of the former chairmen was made public in a viral video on social media. In the video, the former chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike, spoke on behalf of the group.

He stated, “My name is Dr. Nwanosike Samuel, chairman of Ikwerre local government of Rivers State. By the judgement of the Supreme Court, I am still the chairman of the LGA because the Rivers State House of Assembly extended our tenure by six months.”

Efforts to contact some of the former chairmen for comments were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to calls or WhatsApp messages.

The Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly had extended the tenure of the local government chairmen in April 2024, using Section 9(2) of the Rivers State Local Government Law 2024. However, Governor Siminalayi Fubara refused to sign the bill.

Instead, on June 19, 2024, the governor appointed caretaker committees to manage the local government areas after the chairmen’s original terms ended. These caretaker committees remained in charge until October 7, 2024, when the governor swore in newly elected local government chairmen and councillors.

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