The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has declared the six-month tenure elongation of the state’s local government executive chairmen by the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly as null and void, unconstitutional and of no effect.
The court further declared the Local Government Law No.2 of 2024, whose provisions extended the tenure of local government chairmen as invalid.
The court ruled that the law was inconsistent with the 1999 constitution and section 9 (1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018 which fixed three-year tenure for local government chairmen and councilors.
The court gave the judgement in a case filed by Enyiada Cookey-Gam & 6 Ors vs. The Governor of Rivers State & Ors.