Reports trickling down the media reveals that the loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have disclosed their master plan for the forthcoming Local Government Election in the state.
According to the report which was confirmed by a member of the PDP caretaker committee, Fubara’s loyalists may contest the LGA election in another party, not PDP.
This is largely because the PDP reportedly declined it’s participation in the LGA election.
The party is controlled by people who are loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike, and Rivers PDP has insisted on a boycott.
The caretaker committee member affirmed that Rivers chapter of the PDP has been conducting it’s congresses without involving the governor and his loyalists.
“We are concerned about our congresses and we have successfully concluded the ward and local government congresses.
“This coming Saturday, our party will hold its state congress. We have no business with the local government elections for now”, he said.
The committee member, who is also a PDP chieftain, confirmed that the APC got a court order stopping INEC from releasing voters register for the polls.
He added that the party supported the extension of the tenure extension of the LGA chairmen by six months, and that the extension is constitutional.
FINAL WORDS OF THE CHIEFTAIN
“There was a tenure elongation of all the local government chairmen and councilors. Their tenures were legitimately extended by the House of Assembly.
“The extension is in line with the provision of the constitution that whenever,maybe by war or any other circumstances, the local government fails to hold, the House of Assembly can extend the tenures of the elected council officials by nothing more than six months.
“That was exactly what the House of Assembly did. It was not their fault that the governor failed to conduct the local government elections before the expiration of the tenures of the council officials.
“They only acted based on the provisions of the law and the recent judgement of the Supreme Court outlawing the use of caretaker committees to run the local government councils, which has legitimized the position of the Rivers House of Assembly.
“If the governor had allowed the extension, they would have been three months gone and the governor would have had enough time to conduct the election.
“All these matters are in court and as a law-abiding party, the Rivers PDP must go about its other political activities until the court makes its final pronouncement”.
A source suggests that Siminalayi Fubara allies and foot soldiers have opened talks with Action Peoples Party (APP) ahead of the LGA election.
You May Have Missed: Catholic Priest Dies After Sleeping With Girlfriend in a Hotel