Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rives State has asked the newly sworn in caretaker committee chairmen in the state to “operate from anywhere” as a result of the restricted access to council secretariats.
The state police command took over all the 23 Local Government Council headquarters to forestall further bloodshed and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Supporters of the governor and the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, clashed at various secretariats, on Tuesday.
At Eberi-Omuma in Omuma Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday, a policeman and a member of a local security outfit were killed.
The clash occurred over the reluctance of the former council chairmen to quit at the end of their tenure on Monday.
The former chairmen said they would continue in office because the Pro-Wike faction of the Rivers House of Assembly had extended their tenure by 6 months over the failure of Fubara to conduct fresh local government election.
But the governor kicked against it, saying tenure extension was unconstitutional.
He had transmitted a caretaker committee list to his own faction of the Rivers assembly and swore in 23 caretaker chairmen at the government house in Port Harcourt.
At the occasion, he said: “Let me also advise that as you resume in your respective local governments, please I do not want any confrontation, it is not in my nature. It is not my style. Whatever happened yesterday (Tuesday) I know and the world knows that it is not from you people.
“Some persons caused it. So let us not allow them to continue to make our state look bad in the comity of states. So if you go back, if there is any situation I want you to be law abiding. I don’t want any confrontation. You can operate from anywhere.”
He said the most important thing was that the caretaker chairmen were now in charge of the Local Government Areas.
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