Muhajid Asari Dokubo, the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, has encouraged the previous chairmen of Rivers State’s 23 Local Government Areas to accept the end of their three-year terms in good faith and leave.
Dokubo, speaking on the sidelines of the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir festivities in Port Harcourt on Monday, claimed tenure elongation for Rivers LG chairman violates Nigeria’s Constitution.
He noted that the chairmen, whose terms expired on June 17th, cannot push themselves on the public under the cover of an extension of time, noting that it violates the oath of office they signed.
Dokubo cautioned the outgoing chairmen from courting the fury of what he referred to as the “people’s power,” as it will ultimately come to their detriment.
“Local Government tenure has expired today (17th June, 2024). They should quietly go home. If they want to seek re-election in accordance with the Constitution, they should go and seek re-election.
“But there is no tenure elongation in the Constitution. Their position is tenure-bound, and that tenure has expired. Let them not cause unnecessary problem for the people of the State. And I want to advise young people, that: look, don’t allow yourselves to be used,” he stated.
According to him, young people living in the state need to be aware of and comprehend their responsibilities for defending it from those egotistical people who believe it is their own property.
He said:
“Only one man can be governor of Rivers State at a time. We would not have two governors at a time. The people of Rivers State are bigger than Muhajid Asari Dokubo. Rivers State is bigger than any individual. No individual can take Rivers State people for a ride and pocket us. It is not possible.
“Most of us (them), their children are not here, and their children have never come out to stand in front of any protest. They’re not like Mandela and his children or me and my children or any other body. A lot of people, they have not done this. So, nobody should be allowed to be used.”
“The people are showing people’s power. The people have gone on their own to take over local government secretariat because it is about the people, and nobody can say that we voted for three years’ tenure for a chairman and the chairman should exceed one second of that tenure.
“So, the people of Rivers State are exercising their people’s power, and they are ready to take over until the government is ready to conduct a new election.”
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cc: Daily Post Ng
