Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been advised to invoke the necessary provision of the constitution to deal with anybody or group igniting political crisis in Rivers state.
The former deputy speaker of the Rivers State State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Leyii Kwanee gave the charge while reacting to the local government chairmanship crisis currently rocking the state.
Kwanee called on elders and leaders of the state to rise up and condemn the deliberate act by some politicians bent on causing unwarranted tension in an effort to derail democratic process in Rivers.
He said the estranged former Speaker Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule and the 26 others created landmines for the former council chairmen by hurriedly enacting the Law No 2 of 2024.
“I have watched with keen interest the avoidable escalation of political crisis that has rocked our dear state in almost one year now with a particular concern about the unfortunate uproar ignited by the so called tenure elongation for the outgone council chairmen,” he said.
“I called this scenario unfortunate because politicians in the state appear to make a mountain out of molehill. I want to make it clear that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended is superior to any law made at any lower level of government. The constitution is undoubtedly Supreme and it remains so.
“The constitution stipulates in section 7(1) the system of local government by democratically elected local government councils. It means that as an elected tier of government, there is also an end to the tenure of such government.
“The law No 2 of 2024 which was hurriedly made by the sacked 27 lawmakers is not known before the constitution or the law of Rivers state. Those who enacted this law of tenure extension by a period of six months were not lawmakers as at the time they came up with it because their seats had already been declared vacant by the competent court of jurisdiction.
“The 27 former lawmakers ignorantly and blindly created landmines for themselves and the immediate past local government council chairmen by enacting that bizarre law which was a deliberate ploy to cause tension in Rivers state”, he added.
The former lawmaker called on the outgone council chairmen to respect the constitution and come to the realization that their tenure had since expired in the midnight of Monday, June 17.
“That is the law. There is still a window of opportunity for a few of them who may want to seek second term.”
He appreciated Fubara for his peaceful disposition in the face of the unprovoked attack on his government.
He urged elders and leaders of Rivers state to rise up and condemn in the strongest term the rising wave of crisis and prevail on those behind it to retrace their steps for the peace and development of Rivers state.
“But where these agent provocateurs refuse to heed good counsels and withdraw from troubling the state, then I call on the Governor to invoke the necessary constitutional provision and deal with such enemies of the state no matter how highly placed”, he added.
