The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has assented into law the bills covering the The Rivers State Local Government (amendment No.1) Law Number 5 of 2016 and the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice No. 7 of 2015
The two bills which were passed by the State House of Assembly, were signed at the government house, GRA Port-Harcourt on Saturday.
The new local government law would allow the him to extend the appointments of the caretaker committees up to nine months, the governor said while speaking to reporters after signing the law.
He added that the extension is aimed at ensuring stability in council administration.
Wike blamed those criticizing the law as ignorant as he said the new law gives some caretaker committee chairmen third tenure is unfounded as the caretaker committees are not elected officials.
“Instead of three months or six months, this amended law allows the governor to appoint caretaker committees for nine months. It is not meant to keep the caretaker committees in perpetuity. Once we have elected councils, the elected officials will stay for three years, subject and for a maximum of two terms”, he said.
Responding to the opposition’s criticism of the law, the governor said “those in the APC criticizing this amendment have soon forgotten that they passed laws in two minutes while they were at the State Assembly.
“This amendment has been done for the good governance of the state,” he said.
