Hon Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Rivers State, visited protesters at the Emohua Local Government Area council secretariat on Tuesday.
This visit follows his earlier stops at other LGAs occupied by pro-Siminialayi Fubara youths, including the Obio/Akpor LGA council secretariat, home to Chief Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Ehie was welcomed at the Emohua Council Secretariat by members of the Simplified Movement, led by Chief Hon. Fubara Ohaka. Addressing the assembled leaders and youths, Ehie expressed gratitude to the outgoing LGA chairmen for their adherence to the law.
“We thank God and we thank the outgoing administration for standing by the law. The former chairman (of Emohua LGA) is a lawyer and I thank him for standing by the provisions of the law,” Ehie stated.
He assured the crowd that the newly appointed Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) would await further directives from Governor Siminialayi Fubara.
Ehie urged the protesters to remain peaceful and enjoy the Sallah festivities with their Muslim brothers.
The visit comes amid heightened tensions following the expiration of the three-year tenure of elected LGA chairmen and councillors on June 17, as stipulated by the constitution.
Despite this, the LGA bosses have insisted on staying in office due to an alleged amendment to the Local Government Administration Law by the Martin Amaewhule-led State Assembly, which extended their tenure by six months.
However, a State High Court in Port Harcourt ruled the amendment void.
Governor Fubara, in a statewide broadcast earlier on Tuesday, bid farewell to the outgoing chairmen and councillors, reaffirming that their legal tenure had expired.
Ehie’s visit to Emohua and other LGAs is part of the government’s effort to ensure a smooth transition and maintain peace during this period of administrative change.
