I Can’t Access LG Headquarters, Says Newly Sworn-in Rivers Caretaker Chairman

One of the 23 newly sworn in caretaker local government chairmen in Rivers State says security agents denied him access to the headquarters of the Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday.

Darlington Orji, one of those inaugurated as LG caretaker chairmen by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

When asked whether he has assumed office, the newly sworn in caretaker chairman for Ikwerre LGA said, “Upon swearing in today, we were asked to resume so that we can swear in our members.

“I got to Ikwerre Local Government Council and I saw that it’s being barricaded by security agents, the police to be very precise.

“I asked a question and they said they were acting on the orders of the Inspector General of Police.

“That is the situation. I couldn’t access the council because I do not want to break the law. My responsibility is to ensure that there is law and order and to make sure that my people are protected.

“So, I wouldn’t want to force myself against the security agent so that I would not have any clash with them. That is the position at the moment. The police barricaded the gate of the council. There is no point for power tussle. We are working on it and we will see what to do about it.”

He said the former chairman of Ikwerre LGA, Samuel Nwanosike, was first appointed caretaker chairman for about nine months before he was elected as LG chairman, and so he has no moral right to kick against the appointment of caretaker chairmen.

The police took over the council secretariats of the 23 LGAs in the oil-rich South-South on Tuesday following the crisis that erupted over the three-year tenure expiration of the former LGA chairmen.

The former LG chairmen who insisted that their tenure be extended are loyal to Fubara’s predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Three deaths have been recorded in the wake of the pandemonium.