The G60 opposition federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives have welcomed a Rivers State High Court judgment that nullified the tenure extension for local government chairmen and councillors in the state.
The court declared the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which extended the tenure of local government chairmen by six months, invalid and inconsistent with the 1999 constitution and Section 9(1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018, which fixes a three-year tenure for local government chairmen and councillors.
The lawmakers described the judgment as a victory for democracy and an end to legislative impersonation in the state, and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections to replace the 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC in breach of the Electoral Act and 1999 Constitution.