The Rivers State High Court has nullified the amended Local Government Law proposed by the Martins Amaewhule faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
This decision came in response to a lawsuit, numbered PHC/1320/CS/2024, which contested the extension of the tenure for local government chairmen by an additional six months beyond their term limit.
Justice D.G. Kio, who presided over the case, declared the amendment invalid due to its inconsistency with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9(1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.
The court highlighted that the applicable law regulating the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors is the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, which establishes a three-year tenure for these positions.
The court found that the attempt to extend the tenure through the enactment of the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024 was illegal and violated the officials’ oath of office.
This ruling represents a victory for Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six other plaintiffs who challenged the extension, reinforcing the supremacy of constitutional principles in the governance of the state.
