ALGON Washes Hands Off Planned Protest By Rivers Ex-Council Chairmen, Others 

Nnamdi Chukwu 

THE Rivers State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has distanced itself from a planned protest march against the Nigeria Police Force manning the 23 local government council secretariats across the state.

The association in a statement made available to Eighteen-Eleven Media signed by Hon. Ichemati Ezebunwo Ichemati, Chairman, ALGON Rivers State Chapter and Alabota Anengi Barasua, Secretary, ALGON Rivers State Chapter,  claims that the protest is being put together by the immediate past local government chairmen, former Assembly members, and National Assembly members loyal to the Federal Capital Territory  Minister, Nyesom Wike.

According to the association, the planned protest is not in the interest of the local government areas and the state in its entirety; rather, it is a calculated attempt by the enemies of Rivers State “to paint the state in a bad light, unleash mayhem, and further buttress their inordinate call for the declaration of a state of emergency in our dear state”. 

The association further stated: “We emphatically state that we, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, and our people, support the police decision to take control and protect all local government council secretariats until further directives on the matter.

“We want to categorically state that we are not in any way linked to the planned protest, which is detrimental to the progress and well-being of the people of the state, considering the sinister plot by some desperate politicians to take advantage of the guise of protest to cause chaos and destabilise governance in the state.

“Therefore, we call on all law-abiding citizens of our dear state to disregard this planned protest and go about their lawful businesses.

“We wish to place on record that should there be a breakdown of law and order as a result of the planned protest, the organisers and their sponsors, as listed above, should be held responsible.

“We want to thank the people of Rivers State for their continued support for the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, and his administration, which is delivering the enviable dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers State”. 

Eighteen-Eleven Media reports that the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) and over 40 affiliate organisations have threatened to embark on a statewide protest if the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun refuses to withdraw his men from the 23 local government councils in the state.

It will be recalled that the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, by the order of the IGP, had deployed officers to man all the local government councils in the wake of the crisis that erupted last week Tuesday following the expiration of the tenure of the out-gone chairmen.

Consequently, the 23 newly sworn-in caretaker chairmen of the councils are said to be operating from homes, hotels and other convenient places to carry out their administrative functions in the state.

Speaking on the continuous blockade of the secretariats, the South-South zonal chairman of CLO, Comrade Enefaa Georgewill, called on the police to stop turning Rivers into a police state, adding that the continuous blockade of the councils’ gates was “insulting and demeaning to the people of the state.”

The CLO chairman disclosed that the human rights group has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Police to vacate the secretariats or risk a statewide mass anti-police protest in Rivers State.

“We give the Nigerian Police a 7-day ultimatum which expires next Friday, 28 June 2024, to withdraw its men from the 23 secretariats across the local government areas of the state. We are at the moment consulting with all our affiliates and we are giving the police Command a time of grace to do the needful.

“We have a governor, who has decided the crisis arising from the local government tenure imbroglio by swearing in a new caretaker committee to carry out the administrative work at the councils pending the conduct of local government elections.

“A competent court of jurisdiction had ruled that the Martins Amaewhule Assembly had no right to make laws for the extension of the tenure of the past council chairmen. The police ought to obey the subsisting judgment and remain neutral in the matter pending the final ruling by the Appeal Court,” he said.

Eighteen-Eleven Media