- The court affirmed that the lawful tenure for the chairmen and councilors remained three years, as stipulated by the 2018 law.
- The judge stressed that any attempt to extend the tenure was unlawful and violated the officials’ oath of office.
In a landmark ruling, the Rivers State High Court has declared the six-month tenure extension granted to local government executive chairmen by the state’s House of Assembly as null and void.
The court also invalidated the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which had extended the tenure of local government chairmen, citing inconsistency with the 1999 Constitution and existing state laws.
Justice D.G. Kio, presiding over the case filed by Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others against the Governor of Rivers State and others, ruled that the lawful tenure for local government chairmen and councilors remains three years, as stipulated by the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.
The court’s decision effectively strikes down the attempt to extend the tenure of local government executives, deeming it unlawful and in violation of their oath of office.
The ruling is seen as a significant check on the powers of the state’s legislative and executive branches.
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