Gov Wike suspends 12 local government chairman.
Suspension and removal local government chairman.
Many citizens of Rivers State do not quite understand rationale and issues around the suspension and sack of some council chairmen in Rivers State by Gov Nyesom Wike.
Some have continued to bandy all sorts of insinuations, commentaries and allusions. Some say the governor is deliberately removing the council chairmen. Some others say some of the affected chairmen are hardworking while a few are of the opinion that all of them are guilty of the offence for which only some have been suspended or removed from office.
Some say Gov Wike is just doing gara gara and he will call them back.
But looking at all the commentaries, one can only deduce lack of understanding of the issues involved in either suspension or removal of affected council chairmen.
First, citizens must know that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria vests the making of laws and management of the third tier of government on the state governments. The Rivers State House of Assembly makes laws that govern the affair of the State local governments. This is what also obtains in all other thirty five (35) states of the federation.
In Rivers State. The action of the Rivers State Governor to suspend certain Local Government Chairmen is constitutional supported by law. See S. 64 of the Rivers State Local Government Law. Read below.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has suspended 12 Local Government Council Chairmen. The suspension of the council Chairmen is with immediate effect.
The suspended Council Chairmen include : Okrika, Emohua, Abua/Odual, Degema, Khana, Gokana, Ahoada East, Ikwerre, Eleme, Andoni, Omuma and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Areas.
The affected Council Chairmen were suspended for failure to participate in state official function.
The Rivers State law governing the local governments provides that if there are allegations of wrong doings leveled against any council chairman, in contravention of the law setting up the local council, such a chairman has to be suspended for two months in the first instance while a probe of the allegations is launched. When the allegations of wrong doing as alleged are established and affected council chairman is indicted, the Governor is enabled to announce the removal or sack of such a council chairman.
In Rivers State. The action of the Rivers State Governor to suspend certain Local Government Chairmen is constitutional supported by law. See S. 64 of the Rivers State Local Government Law below
Also know that the Supreme Court Nigeria in 2016 voided laws enacted by the states’ Houses of Assembly which allow governors to sack elected Chairmen of Local Governments and Councillors and replace them appointed administrators.
In a unanimous judgement of five Justices of the Supreme Court described the practice as “executive recklessness”, which must not be allowed to persist.