IG Lifts Police Siege On Rivers Councils

The Inspector General of Police has lifted the barricade on local government secretariat in Rivers State, paving way for the 22 caretakers to be inaugurated. However, the former 22 sacked local government chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have vowed to appeal the judgment of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which invalidated the May 23, 2015 election that ushered them into office.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the siege, which heightened political tension in the State was lifted by the Inspector General of Police after their extensive discussion during which he notified the police that he did not dissolve the council executives, rather a court of competent declared their election as illegal and annulled it. According to Wike, the Inspector General had hinged the police decision barricade the council secretariats on conflicting report about the situation in the state.

Wike, who describe police action as embarrassing, explained that everybody was aware that he did not dissolve any council. And assuming that he did, he wondered why when the APC led government in Plateau State dissolved the councils, the police did not seal up the council secretariats.

He explained that the Inspector General has called him to say that order has been reversed after the realisation that it was a court order that warranted the sack of the former council chairmen.

“When I spoke with the IG yesterday, he said, ‘yes they now understood the court order and they are going to enforce the court order’ and based on that, I now directed all the chairmen, who have been sworn in to inaugurate the caretaker committee members in their various councils and police was to provide security and that I can tell you is what is taking place now. Most people might see the police today are to make sure that life and property are protected. You can find out that some people might take advantage of this and cause mayhem,” he sai

Reacting to the APC threat that it will not abide by the court judgment, Governor Wike urged the party to follow due process because a High Court is not the final court. He emphasized that if the party was dissatisfied it should seek redress at the appellate court instead of instigating mayhem and lawlessness in the state.

“When I was inaugurated, I said due process must follow. We will not dissolve any local government election. I think Thursday this week, the court nullified the election meaning that all those who benefitted from the so call election should not be in office.