Again, Fubara defeats Wike as court nullifies amendment to LG Law

The Rivers State High Court has declared amendment to the Local Government Law proposed by the Martins Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly null and void.

The amendment, which sought to extend the tenure of Local Government Chairmen by six months, was deemed unconstitutional and inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.

Justice D.G. Kio, presiding over the case, ruled in favour of Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others, who challenged the extension, upholding the principle of constitutional supremacy in governance.

The court’s decision is a significant victory for the rule of law and a blow to attempts to subvert democratic norms, it has been said.

The ruling reaffirms the three-year tenure for Local Government Chairmen and Councillors, as stipulated in the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.

The attempt by pro-Wike lawmakers in the sacked Assembly team to extend the tenure of their own men in councils, through the enactment of the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, has been declared unlawful and contrary to the oath of office taken by public officials, it was said.