Explosion In Rivers As Court Dissolves 22 Elected LG Councils

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday, dissolved the 22 local government councils in the state.

Justice Lambo Akonbi of Federal High Court 1, in his ruling, said the decision of the administration of former governor Chibuike Amaechi to go ahead with the conduct of the council election on May 23 in spite of a court order asking all parties to maintain status quo is a flagrant abuse of court process and disregard for rule of law.

Meantime, there was an explosion outside the court premises.But there was no report of death or injury.

At press time, there was heavy presence of security men on the ever busy Station Road where the High Court is located.

Details later….

Rivers PDP is daring ‘Change’ at its own peril – Oyegun

The Rivers State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is daring the era of change in the country at its own peril, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Chairman of All Progressives’ Congress (APC) has said.

Odigie-Oyegun said this while speaking at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja to a delegation of local government chairmen from the state, who complained of harassment and financial starvation by the PDP-led state government in Port Harcourt.

“I want to give you the assurance that things have changed in this nation [and] those who are still testing our resolve will discover sooner than later that they are absolutely on the wrong track. The fact that we are a party of law, order and due process does not mean we will allow impunity to continue and the blood of innocents to be shed on the platform of politics or for political reasons.

“If the PDP in Rivers State does not recognise that change has come to this nation, they will be doing so at their own peril because there will certainly be consequences. We cannot allow our members, innocent citizens, to be witch-hunted, slain and abused the way they are used to and the way it has been happening,” Odigie-Oyegun vowed.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Mayor of Port Harcourt Chimbiko Akarolo, prayed the national leadership of the party to use every means necessary to intervene and sustain the local governments in the state, assist in compelling the state government to release the allocations due them to enable them function as a tier of government, among other prayers.