Former local government (LG) chairmen in Rivers, sacked in 2015 under the Gov. Nyesom Wike administration have vowed to return to take over LG councils in the 23 LGAs.
The former Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area (LGA), Benson Imie, who disclosed this on behalf of the 23 LGAs Chairmen on Tuesday – yesterday, March 4 – at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, recalled that they were elected in a poll conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) on May 23, 2015 at the tail of former Gov. Chibuike Amaechi’s administration.
He said his predecessor, Wike, sacked them on assumption of office, adding that a Federal High Court in its judgment on July 9, 2015 voided the 2015 LG election that brought them into office.
However, an Appeal Court in Port harcourt, on Feb, 28, 2025, 10 years later, overturned the decision of the Federal High Court, ruling that the 2015 election was without encumbrances.
He explained that the Appeal Court, in Suit No, CA/PH/172?2024 ( Hon. Augustine P. NGO & 22 Ors v. Peoples Democratic Party & Ors) nullified and set aside the Federal High Court judgment, disclosing that the judgment was set aside on grounds of violent breach and flagrant abuse of the appellants’ right to fair hearing.
He said the Appeal Court’s judgment recognised that appellants’ right to fair hearing id jealously protected and preserved under Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
Imie explained amid a plethora of case laws, the Appeal Court held “the election of the appellants was without any legal encumbrances.’’
Imie said with the Supreme Court’s Friday judgment, sacking the Oct. 5, 2024, he and his colleagues remain the rightfully elected LG Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and councillors.
In his remarks, Reginald Ukwuoma, former Chairman of Etche LGA, said they did not need to be sworn into office or take any oath of office as they had done all that in 2015.
’’At this moment, we will wait to receive the Certified True Copies of the Appeal Court and the  Supreme Court judgments, then, we will know when to resume office,’’ he said.
