Rivers Crisis: Youth Protesters Dismantle Wike’s Statue in Obio-Akpor

In a dramatic turn of events, the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State took a new twist as protesting youth, in a bold act, removed the statue of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in Obio-Akpor local government area of Rivers State.

The protest became limelight following a viral video on the X (formerly Twitter) platform, showcasing a gathering of youths surrounding the statue, which has now been pulled down.

The protest resulted from some local government chairperson whose office tenure expired on Monday, June 17, but failed to vacate the office.

However, in a state-wide broadcast on Tuesday morning, Governor Siminalayi Fubara said the tenure of the elected Local Government Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, and Councilors elected and sworn in three years ago expired on Monday, June 17.

As we move forward in making sure that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is upheld and that law and order are maintained as we continue to strive to provide leadership and direction for our people, I, at this moment, direct Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAS) to continue to provide leadership in their respective Local Government Areas.

“Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAS) are at this moment directed to immediately take charge of the Councils with renewed vigour and readiness to serve and await further directives as we navigate towards even greater accomplishments together,” Fubara said.

In another surfaced video on X, Rivers State police officers deployed to contain the situation were seen shooting sporadically during the youth’s protest, calling for vacation and not elongating local chairpersons whose tenure expired on Monday, June 17, 2024.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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