Appointment of administrators: Rivers LGs have been captured – Nsirimovu

The Coordinator of the Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative, Courage Nsirimovu, has said that with the appointment of sole administrators for the 23 local government areas of Rivers State by the state’s sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd), local government administration in the state has “been captured.”

Nsirimovu had earlier sued Vice Admiral Ibas in his personal capacity, seeking a court order to restrain him from appointing sole administrators at the third tier of government in Rivers State.

On Tuesday, a Port Harcourt High Court presided over by Justice Adamu Turaki Muhammad issued an ex parte order summoning the administrator to show cause why he should not be restrained from carrying out such action.

However, on Wednesday morning, the administrator, through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Ibibia Lucky Worika, announced the appointment of sole administrators for the LGAs, in addition to members of other state boards.

Reacting to this development, Nsirimovu told our correspondent that the implication of the administrator’s action was that, just like the state government, local government administration in Rivers had also “been captured.”

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“For Rivers people, it’s no longer about your interest. It’s now about the interests of a few at the national level and the interest of the sole administrator.

“Just the way the state government has been captured, the local government has also been captured. It will now be run at the whims and caprices of a few persons running an oligarchy in a democracy.

“It’s crazy. Democracy is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

“But these persons being appointed are not for the people—they’re appointed to serve a few interests. So we don’t think governance will reach the people as it should,” he said.

The Coordinator of the Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative described the action of the sole administrator as not only a disregard for the court but also tantamount to contempt of court.

“On another note,” Nsirimovu added, “his action is unconstitutional—very unconstitutional. I don’t know why the desperation. I don’t know what his legal team is doing.

“Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, subsection 1, clearly states that the system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is guaranteed under the Constitution.

“What the Constitution contemplates are elected officials. There are numerous Supreme Court decisions declaring caretaker committees illegal.

“Any attempt to run another unit of government in a democracy—whether federal, state, or local—must be through elections.

“The president is elected, the governor is elected, and the local government chairmen must also be elected.”

Nsirimovu recalled, “We were here when the Supreme Court said to the Governor of Rivers State that the process through which certain persons were elected was against the law, and the governor had to start a new process by serving a 90-day notice as prescribed by law before the election.

“That process began in obedience to the law, and now we have the sole administrator coming in to handpick people to run the local governments. It is outrightly unconstitutional.

“We will challenge it in court and urge the court to declare his present actions null and void.

“We will further seek an order to perpetually restrain him from carrying out such unconstitutional acts that undermine our democracy,” he declared.

 

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE