A section of the Eleme Local Government Council secretariat was early this morning set ablaze.
According to Ambassador Oji Ngofa, who hails from Eleme, the newly elected chairman, Brain Gokpa, came to the council secretariat accompanied by his councillors and supporters but discovered that a few of the buildings in the council had been set ablaze.
So far, no arrests have been made, and the police are yet to release any statement on the situation. There is a palpable fear of a potential breakdown of law and order in some council areas of the state following the weekend election which saw the candidates of the Action People’s Party (APP) emerge victorious in 22 out of the 23 local government areas of the state. The remaining seat was won by the candidate of Action Alliance (AA). The elected council officials are believed to enjoy the support of Governor Siminalayi Fubara,
A statement by the Command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko earlier on Monday morning, had directed the re-opening of all the 23 local government area secretariats in the state.
The newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Mustapha Bala, acting on the orders of the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the immediate withdrawal of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and safeguard the council secretariats in the state.
The secretariat was sealed in June following the disagreement between the Caretaker Committee Chairmen loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the immediate past local government chairmen, who were loyalists of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Governor Fubara had sworn in 23 newly elected local government chairmen in the state.
The exercise held at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital on Sunday, comes a day after the Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted an election at the grassroots.
Meanwhile, the disagreement became the order of the day in Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state early today following the lifting of the three-month ban on the local government area secretariats by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday.
Ahoada East is the local government area of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Edison Ehie.
Police officers were seen firing into the air to disperse persons who tried to resist the resumption of the Ahoada East chairman on Monday.
There was also an initial report that some individuals had attempted to barricade the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area secretariat earlier on Monday when the Chairman, Ezebunwo Ichemati, tried to access the council secretariat.
The crisis was, however, allegedly foiled when the men sighted the chairmen, councillors and supporters arriving at the council.
Ichemati was later seen supervising the clearing of overgrown grasses and cleaning of the council and other facilities within the premises.
Eighteen-Eleven Media