Rivers Crisis: Ex-council Chairmen Raise Alarm over Planned Protests against Police

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The immediate past local government council chairmen in Rivers State have alleged that members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC) were planning to stage a protest against the Nigeria Police over the political crisis in the state.
The state NLC chairman, Alex Agwanwor, and his TUC counterpart, Ikechukwu Onyefuru, had during a briefing at the weekend said they backed the four days ultimatum issued by the state president of NULGE, Clifford Paul, to the police to vacate the councils or the union will mobilise its workers for a protest, saying organised labour is already preparing to do the needful.

However, at a press briefing yesterday in Port Harcourt, the former chairmen, led by the immediate past state chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr Allwell Ihunda, said the meeting was to inform the world about what was going on in the state.
Ihunda, alongside his colleagues, stated that the recent appointment of caretaker committee members by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the 23 local government areas was against a subsisting court order that parties involved in the lingering crisis in the state should maintain status quo.

He stated, “We are here today to bring to the attention of the world what is happening in Rivers State. We are aware that in spite of the matter in Court of Appeal, that on the 19th of June, the governor of Rivers State went ahead to appoint caretaker committee members of the 23 local government areas, in spite of the fact that the Court of Appeal has stated clearly that all parties should maintain status quo on all the suits before the appeal court; and inclusive of the matter at the Supreme Court.”
Ihunda faulted the appointment of the caretaker members, and said members of the committee were mostly civil servants and members of NULGE.

He alleged that NULGE had planned with NLC and TUC to carry out a protest on June 24 “against the police the IGP has ordered to stay in the councils to maintain law and order, so that there would not be further deaths. as we experienced in Omuma LGA”.