By Memoye Oghu
Stakeholders for Democracy and Good Governance (SHDG), a Gov Siminalayi Fubara support group in Rivers State, has felicitated with the state governor on his “laudable achievements within one year in office.”
The governor’s support group, which joined other “well-meaning individuals and groups within and outside the state to congratulate the governor on his notable performance within one year of his first term, inspite of the unwarranted provocations,” also advised him to appoint caretaker committees (CTC) for local councils in the state as soon as the tenure of the present council chairmen expires next month.
SHDG’s advice to Gov Fubara is coming on the heels of a Port Harcourt High Court judgment invalidating the recent Local Government Amendment Bill vetoed into law by the pro-Nyesom Wike lawmakers in the state.
In a matter brought before a Port Harcourt High Court by Opobo council chairman, Hon Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others against the Martins Amaewhule-led lawmakers and others, Justice G. D. Kio ruled that the 2024 Local Governments Amendment law which sought to extend the tenures of council chairmen and councillors for six months was unconstitutional and therefore null and void.
State Coordinator of the group, Barr Benjamin Jiji told newsmen shortly after the group’s meeting on Tuesday at Igwuruta Town in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state that a communiqué issued after the group’s congress meeting congratulated the governor on his numerous achievements within one year in office as the executive governor of the oil rich state.
He also said that the communiqué urged the state governor to leverage on the High Court ruling of Tuesday, May 21, 2024 to appoint Caretaker Committees for the local council areas in the state to enable him extend his peaceful dividends of democracy to the rural areas of the state.
He said: “the recent judgement by the Rivers State High Court with respect to the setting aside of the Rivers State Local Government Amendment Law 2024, extending by 6 months, the tenure of Local Government chairmen made by the Amaewhule-led Legislative Assembly is a right step in the right direction.
“The law is explicit, that tenure of Local Government Chairmen/Councillors shall be for 3 years. By virtue of S.1(1) of the 1999 CFRN (As Amended), the Constitution is to all persons and associations. While S.1(3) supra elucidated that any law that is inconsistent with the Constitution, same shall by its inconsistency be void. So, the court is right to have set aside the said amended LG Law, 2024. On this note, I, in behalf of the aforementioned noble organization urge our dear governor to appoint CTC chairmen for the 23 LGAs, should be people of proven integrity.”
He went further to state that the actions of the governor with respect to developmental strides at the grassroot depicts the true nature of the new SIM Political Support NGO in the state, ‘Stakeholders for Democracy and Good Governance.’
Also responding to questions from journalists, BoT chairman of the group, Pastor (High Chief) Standfast Robinson congratulated Gov Siminalayi Fubara on the successful flag off of the Trans Kalabari road project which has been on the drawing board for the last 20 years, pointing out that, “that singular project of the governor will open up the Kalabari hinterlands and grow the economy of the state.”
