Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has admonished the former 23 Local Government Council Chairmen in Rivers State whose term of office terminated Monday, June 17, 2024, not to allow themselves to be used as tools to perpetuate the political crisis in the state, by hiding under whatever illegitimate guise to claim tenure elongation beyond the due date of Monday June 17, marking the end of their 3-year tenure.
In a statement made available to the media, the APC Chief said reports from reliable sources have brought to light surreptitious plots to use the former Council Chairmen to perpetrate an offshoot of the crisis generated from the controversy of the status of the politically stranded 27 former Rivers Lawmakers loyal to him.
The plot, Eze said was sealed over the weekend when each of the former chairmen was handed a script to play beginning from June 18, a day after the due date for their exit, in a bid to sustain hostilities and reduce the state into a theatre of war and create discomfort for the seamless administration of the state by the Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara and his team.
Eze said in Degema, Asari-Toru, Obio-Akpor, Eleme, Oyigbo and Port Harcourt City local government areas respectively, angry youths have taken over entrances to the council secretariats, sending warnings to the former Chairmen and their band of troublemakers to steer clear and strictly limit themselves to the directives of the Governor in his broadcast regarding the transition of the local government administration in the state.
Recall that Gov. Fubara, in a statewide broadcast early Tuesday morning, directed Heads of Local Government Administration to take-up the responsibility of administering the 23 local council areas pending further directive on the matter. This, Eze said is to avoid any vacuum that would have been created from the exit of the former Council Chairmen and councilors on the expiration of their tenure on Monday June 17.
Prior to this time, the APC Chief said there were widespread reports of looting of Council properties ranging from vehicles to electronics to computers and furniture and fittings.. at various secretariats to make administration difficult for the incoming interim management team who are expected to be announced soonest.
Chief Eze called on the people of Emohua Local Government Area to refuse being enlisted into plot to perpetrate crisis in the local government.
He urged all outgone Chairmen to peacefully to peacefully go back home to their family and understand that power is transient to avoid being used to soil their reputations and destroy their legacies in their respective local government areas in the pursuit of his selfish private ends.
