Pro-Democracy Group Backs Appeal Court Ruling Rejecting Tenure Elongation Of Rivers LG Ex-Chairmen
The chairmen of the local government councils were vacated from office on June 17 at the expiration of their three-year tenure.
A pro-democracy organisation, the National Vanguard for Rule of Law (NVRL) has stated that the Court of Appeal’s decision to strike out two appeals filed by former Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State, was good for democracy.
The chairmen of the local government councils were vacated from office on June 17 at the expiration of their three-year tenure.
The Chairman of Opobo Nkoro Local Government Council and six others had dragged the Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, and others to court over the position of the faction of the State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule.
A High Court sitting in Rivers State had struck out the amendment seeking extension as being contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
The chairmen filed appeal to challenged the decisions of the lower court in the matters of the elongation of the council leadership tenure.
The Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal, on Monday, struck out two appeals marked CA/PH/137M/2024 and CA/PH/145M/2024, filed by Local Government Chairmen loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike, for lack of merit.
The three-man Appeal Court panel, presided over by Justice B. B. Aliyu, upheld the decision of the High Court, refused the extension of the tenures of the Chairmen whose positions expired in June and dismissed the case for lack of merit.
Meanwhile, the National Vanguard for Rule of Law in a statement by its President, Johnson Babatunde, praised the justices of the Port Harcourt Division for their courage and integrity in delivering a sound judgment, despite alleged attempts to induce them with money.
The group encouraged the people to prepare for the forthcoming local government elections to replace those who sought to extend their tenure through illegal means.
He said: “We commend the justices of the Port Harcourt Division for once again delivering a sound judgment, upholding the rule of and giving Nigerians hope in the judiciary.
“We understand the enemies of Rivers State have been inducing judges with money to deliver “black market” judgments in their favour. We believe that the Justices of the Port Harcourt Division must have been tempted with all forms of inducement to pervert justice, but as men of courage, they have chosen to uphold the rule of law.”
“We called on Nigerians to support judges who deliver sound judgments and urged the people of Rivers State to continue to support Governor Siminalayi Fubara in delivering dividends of democracy to the state,” the statement added.
