Supporters of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, gathered at the Port Harcourt City Local Government Council (PHALGA) on Wednesday, vowing to resist the takeover by a caretaker team. The youths, loyal to Wike, claim they are ensuring peace and order in the local government council, amid a crisis over local government administration in Rivers State.
According to Maxwell Enwukwe, a leader of the crowd and former Council Executive, they received information that some persons attempted to gather hoodlums to besiege the council, despite a public holiday. However, the police have taken over the area, maintaining peace. Enwukwe stated that they will resist any attempt by the new caretaker team to take over, emphasizing that they are supporters of the grass root development initiative of the Minister of FCT.
The crowd has refused to leave the PHALGA environment, which is close to the Rivers State Government House. This comes as local government chairmen in Rivers State, whose tenure expired on Tuesday, refuse to step down, citing tenure extension by the State House of Assembly. However, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has nominated caretaker committees for the 23 local government councils, maintaining that there is no tenure extension for the chairmen.
The situation remains tense, with the police maintaining a presence in the area. The youths continue to occupy the PHALGA premises, determined to resist any attempt to take over the local government council. The crisis in Rivers State local government administration continues to unfold, with no clear resolution in sight.
