A coalition of civil society groups under the aegis of Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN has expressed dismay at the continued siege laid by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on the 23 Local Government Council secretariats in Rivers State.
The coalition lamented that despite the High Court declaration nullifying the tenure elongation of the outgone council chairmen, the secretariats remain under siege.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Dr Julius Bernard, the coalition stated that the action of the police “is a gross violation of the rule of law, an affront to democracy”.
Bernard lamented that the Police, under the guise of maintaining law and order in the state, have continued to deny LG workers access to their offices.
Part of the statement reads, “We recall that the state High Court had nullified the amended Local Government Law that backed the tenure elongation of the former chairmen, and the appeal court dismissed the appeals filed by Martin Amaewhule and others for lacking in merit.
“It is therefore surprising that the Police have continued to barricade the council secretariats, days after the tenure elongation controversy appeal was dismissed.
“We call on the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, to immediately withdraw policemen from the council secretariats and respect the judgment of the court. The continued presence of Police at the council secretariats is a clear violation of the principle of separation of powers”.
