Court Rules Out Rivers Assembly Service Commission Law

The Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice Mrs Kariba Dagogo Jack, on Tuesday, nullified the amendment of Section 3 of the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission Law recently amended by the Martins Amaewhule-led Assembly.

Justice Dagogo-Jack, in her judgment, held that the amendment was inconsistent with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and Section 9 (1) of the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018.

The court further held that the applicable law in the circumstances was the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018 that fixed three-year tenure for Local Government Chairmen and Councillors and not the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which was enacted to unlawfully extend their tenure.

The judgment was delivered in a suit marked PHC/1320/CS/2024, filed by one Honourable Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others against the Governor of Rivers State and others. The court declared that the new law was inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9 (1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018, which fixed the tenure of Rivers LG chairmen and councillors at three years.

Justice Kio declared that the new law was inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9 (1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018, which fixed the tenure of Rivers LG chairmen and councillors at three years.

The court further held that the applicable law in the circumstances was the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018 that fixed three-year tenure for Local Government Chairmen and Councillors and not the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which was enacted to unlawfully extend their tenure.

The judgment was delivered in a suit marked PHC/1320/CS/2024, filed by one Honourable Enyiada Cookey-Gam and six others against the Governor of Rivers State and others. The court declared that the new law was inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and Section 9 (1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018, which fixed the tenure of Rivers LG chairmen and councillors at three years.

The court further held that the applicable law in the circumstances was the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018 that fixed three-year tenure for Local Government Chairmen and Councillors and not the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which was enacted to unlawfully extend their tenure.