The Governor of Rivers State has issued a directive for the Heads of Local Government Administration to take over the administration of the 23 local government areas until fresh elections are conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission. The outgoing local government chairmen have been instructed to hand over to the Heads of Local Government Administration by a specified date. This decision was made in response to a recent Supreme Court judgment that nullified previous local government elections and recognized certain lawmakers.
The Governor explained that this action was necessary due to the prohibition of caretaker arrangements in the local government system in Nigeria. Despite disagreeing with the court judgments, the Governor emphasized the government’s commitment to obeying the court orders as a law-abiding entity.
Acknowledging the challenges faced as a result of the court rulings, the Governor urged the people of the state to remain calm and continue their daily activities peacefully. The government is committed to upholding good governance and moving the state forward by implementing the court’s decisions once the certified judgements are received and analyzed.