A group advocating for democracy, known as the People’s Congress and aligned with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has strongly criticized the faction led by Martin Amaewhule in the state House of Assembly. The group condemned their call for the arrest of the chairmen and members of the 23 Local Government Caretaker Committees in the state.
Recent developments saw the 27 lawmakers who support Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, urging the Nigeria Police Force to take action against the Caretaker chairmen of the Local Government Areas (LGAs).
This call came in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to LGs nationwide and halting governors from appointing caretaker chairmen. Prior to this ruling, the Rivers State LG caretaker chairmen had been appointed by Governor Fubara.
In response to the request for arrests, the pro-democracy group accused the lawmakers of “instigating chaos within the state” and urged law enforcement bodies to disregard their demands.
“It is evident that Martin Amaewhule and his allies are still reeling from losing their seats in the Rivers State Assembly after moving from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress,” the group stated.
“Their actions are akin to promoting chaos. We call on the honorable officers and personnel of the Nigeria Police and other law enforcement agencies to dismiss the calls of these individuals masquerading as lawmakers.
“Their agenda is to disrupt the stability of Rivers State and hence should be either dismissed outright or, preferably, apprehended for trying to incite unrest in the state,” added the statement.