Police seals council secretariats in Rivers State, bars Wike’s Chairmen

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force have taken over the premises of 22 Local
government councils in Rivers state.
DAILY POST gathered that the police may be acting on a perceived information
that some groups who were not favoured by the Federal High Court ruling may
invade the council secretariats in protest.
A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, had ordered
the cancellation of the local
government elections conducted in Rivers State few days to the expiration of the
tenure of former Governor, Rotimi Ameachi’s.
Justice Lambo Akanbi, in his ruling, berated the former administration of Rotimi
Amaechi for conducting the local council elections despite his order that all
parties should maintain status quo and leave the rest.
Justice Akanbi also accused the immediate past government of “flagrant
disobedience of court processes.
In a swift reaction to annulment, the Rivers state House of Assembly, based on a
request from Governor, Nyesom Wike immediately screened and confirmed
Caretaker Committee members to manage the affairs of the 22 Local councils,
all of whom are members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state.
Reports reaching DAILY POST however has it that the police have been drafted to
all the council secretariats, stopping the newly sworn-in CTC members and the
removed Chairmen from gaining entry into the councils.
Meanwhile, the National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has
requested that the council be reopened.
The party described as “unconstitutional, reprehensible abuse of power and
brazen show of partisanship, the action of the APC-
led federal government controlled police in barring caretaker committees lawfully
appointed by the state government from taking charge of the councils.”
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in a statement on Friday said
the action of the police “is an affront to the
ruling of the High Court, which Thursday dissolved the 22 local government
councils unlawfully imposed by the immediate past administration in the state,
upon which the
caretaker committees were appointed by Governor Nyesom Wike.”
The party said “it was curious that the police allowed the dissolution of local
government councils and appointment of caretaker committees in APC controlled
Plateau and Kaduna states, even when they were without the orders of the court
but elected to clamp down on that of Rivers State, which came as a result of
judicial pronouncement.”
The former ruling party, now opposition party charged the Inspector General of
Police to come out clean on the matter and assure Nigerians of the non-
partisanship of the Police Force by ordering the immediate unsealing of the
councils.
The party said Nigerians and the international community should note the
development, which “is a yet another clear indication that the Nigerian police may
have
become a partisan and compromised instrument in the hands of the APC federal
government to destabilize PDP controlled states,” Metuh said.

Source : Dailypost