Police Seal Town Hall Set for Commissioning by Eleme Caretaker Chairman

In a surprising turn of events, the police have sealed up the town hall in Eleme, Rivers State, just before it was set to be commissioned by the local Caretaker Chairman, Brain Gokpa. This unexpected move has left residents and local officials stunned, as they were eagerly anticipating the grand opening of the new town hall.

The incident comes amidst a backdrop of political tensions in the region, with the Rivers State House of Assembly recently directing the police to arrest individuals posing as caretaker committee chairmen in the state’s 23 local government areas. The Assembly, led by Speaker Victor Jumbo, has been embroiled in a dispute with Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the appointment of caretaker chairmen, following the expiration of the tenure of the previous local government chairmen.

The Caretaker Committee Chairpersons, appointed by Governor Fubara, have been performing their duties unhindered despite the police barricades and the recent Supreme Court ruling. They were sworn in after the tenure of the previous council chairmen expired, with Brain Gokpa being nominated as the caretaker chairman for Eleme Local Government Area.

The situation has been further complicated by reports of youths storming local government secretariats in protest against the chairmen’s tenure extension. Meanwhile, Governor Fubara has warned the outgoing chairmen not to do anything that would truncate the peace of the state, saying they had a few days to leave office.

As the political drama unfolds, residents of Eleme and the wider Rivers State are left wondering about the future of their local government and the fate of the sealed town hall. Will the police continue to barricade the venue, or will the Caretaker Chairman find a way to proceed with the commissioning ceremony? Only time will tell.