PDP Federal Lawmakers Kick Over Extension Of Tenure For Rivers Local Govt Chairmen, Threatens To Hijack Rivers Assembly
Some opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives have kicked against a purported extension of the tenure of local chairmen in Rivers State by the State House of Assembly.
It was learnt that the local government chairmen have few weeks to expiration of their tenure.
The Peoples Democratic Party member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who spoke on behalf of others on Friday in Abuja, said that the move was unacceptable to the opposition and all lovers of democracy.
Ugochinyere, who described the action of the Rivers State House of Assembly as “democratic coup”, said the development can lead to anarchy in the state and called on President Bola Tinubu to call his party men in the Rivers Assembly to order.
“It is difficult for one to justify that local government chairmen that their tenure is about to expire in a matter of weeks; that you can make a law to extend their tenure. Such tenure extension is something that can lead to anarchy. It is unacceptable and cannot be enforced.
“The tenure extension for Rivers State local government local government chairman is legislative rascality and a coup against democracy that is dead on arrival. Because you cannot change the goal post at the middle of the game,” he said.
He added, “You make a law in your bedroom signed by a group of people, who are no longer lawmakers, saying that the man can now stay in office pending when they will be election. Somebody that his tenure has expired, that is a recipe for crisis.
“You don’t need to be told what is going to happen when a man that is unelected continues to remain in office, because somebody in his bedroom, gave him an extension, calling himself a House of Assembly, when he has no quorum; when he is no longer a member of the House of Assembly; having resigned his membership of the party where he was elected when the party has no crises.
“And now the local government chairman will now stay in office beyond their tenure, that is unacceptable and that will lead to crisis. That is what we don’t want and that is why we are calling on the President to call those his party members are former members of the House of Assembly to stop that nonsense they are doing, before they blow up Rivers. “
He threatened that if the crisis in the Rivers Assembly persits the opposition lawmakers would initiate moves for the House of Representatives to take over the function of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The issue of takeover, we can only speak for ourselves, the coalition members of the CUPP. In a situation where majority of the lawmakers have left but still parading themselves as legitimate lawmakers, that has always created constitutional problems and as part of the options available, we are mobilising to use the floor of the Parliament to make an attempt to take over the Rivers State House of Assembly if they don’t stop parading themselves and if the President does not intervene to stop this madness they are carrying on;
“As Lawmakers from the opposition coalition, we are already taking to ourselves that take over will be the last resort and that will be the only out to avert Constitutional break down by these former Lawmakers who are trying to create crisis by parading themselves as legitimate lawamakers, we will also discuss if there will legal actions.” he stated.