The Rivers State High Court has invalidated the amended Local Government Law proposed by the Martins Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The ruling was delivered in a suit numbered PHC/1320/CS/2024, which challenged the extension of tenure for Local Government (LG) chairmen for six months after the expiration of their term.
Justice D.G. Kio, presiding over the case, declared the amendment invalid, citing its inconsistency with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018. The court emphasized that the applicable law governing the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors is the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, which stipulates a three-year tenure.
The attempt to extend their tenure through the enactment of the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024 was deemed unlawful and contrary to their oath of office. This ruling marks a victory for Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others who challenged the extension, asserting the primacy of constitutional principles in governance.
