Rivers: We don't need swearing in again, we have already been sworn in to office -Sacked LG chairmen

According to reports, elected local government chairmen in Rivers State, who were removed from their positions in 2015, have expressed their intent to reclaim control over local government administration in the state's 23 local government areas.

During a gathering in Port Harcourt, the chairmen, their deputies, and councillors stated that a recent Appeal Court ruling that annulled their dismissal by the administration of Nyesom Wike affirmed their rightful claim to leadership in the local governments.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) conducted local government elections on May 23, 2015, at the end of Chibuike Amaechi's administration.

However, upon taking office, Chief Wike dismissed all elected chairmen and councillors from the 2015 elections.

A federal high court subsequently nullified this decision on July 9, 2015, declaring the election invalid.

After nearly a decade, on February 28, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt overturned the earlier ruling, stating that the 2015 election was conducted without issues.

Hon. Benson Imie, the elected Chairman of Andoni LGA, spoke on behalf of his colleagues, highlighting that the Supreme Court's recent ruling had created vacancies in the local government councils.

He noted that the Court of Appeal had set aside the 2015 nullification, emphasizing the violation of the chairmen's right to fair hearing as protected by the Nigerian Constitution.

Imie stated that, following these recent rulings, the rightful individuals to fill the vacant local government positions are those elected in 2015, who have now been judicially recognized after a long legal struggle.

Ukwoma said: "We don't need swearing in again. We have been sworn into office, we cannot take another oath of office. At the moment we will wait to receive the Certified True Copies of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court judgements, them we will know when to resume office."