13th December, 2022
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Chairman of Okrika local government of Rivers, Akuro Tobin has ordered the sealing of Okrika Divisional Council of Chiefs (ODCC) hall to prevent its use for hosting of the governorship candidate Action Democratic Party, ADP in the state, Victor Fingesi.
The hall was allegedly ordered sealed in compliance with the Executive Order 22 of Governor Nyesom Wike.
While justifying the action, the Okrika local government Council stated that the hall is its property and the action of the Council Chairman is within his powers because it was backed up by Executive Order 22.
Tobin, in press statement signed on his behalf by Derefaka Ajubo, the Chief Press Secretary Okrika Local Goverent Area also said provisions of Executive Order 22 were not complied with in the bid to use the hall to host the ADP governorship candidate.
He said, “there was neither prior notice nor permission from any quarters as enshrined in paragraph 3 and 4 in the Executive Order, and the chairman therefore has exercise his power in paragraph 6, and therefore will not tolerance such cacophonous(sic) meetings in Okrika LGA”.
Our Correspondent reports that Executive Order 21 and 22 issued by the Rivers State Governor have been described as “draconian and undemocratic’ and designed with the sole purpose of emasculating opposition politicians and their supporters from freely campaigning and canvassing for for votes in Rivers.
But Wike had severally defended the Executive Orders, saying that they are aimed at restoring order and normalcy in the political atmosphere in the state.
He said his administration owes nobody apology for the Executive Orders and whoever is aggrieved by it should challenge their legality in Court.
Wike cited the example of the state government which had challenged Executive Orders by President Muhammadu Buhari which it felt were not in tandem with the tenets of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and against the interest of the state.
Fingesi had in his previous media jabs at the administration of Governor Wike said his party would challenge the Orders in Court.
He had also said that Rivers state is poor, insecure despite humongous funds it receives from the federation account annually and the internally generated revenue.
Fingesi said the major problem in Rivers was poverty, “which is the reason we are having increased rate of crime and insecurity”.
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