Renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adeboro Adamson, has unequivocally blamed the State Assembly, Local Government Council, and Governor for the ongoing chaos and constitutional crisis surrounding local government elections in Rivers State. In a recent interview with Arise News, Adamson pointed to widespread constitutional breaches by the state authorities as the root cause of the turmoil.
"From the State Assembly to the Elected Executive Council of the Local Government to the Governor of the State, they're all at fault," Adamson stated emphatically. He cited Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that local governments must be governed by democratically elected council members.
Adamson argued that the State Assembly's decision to extend the tenure of local government executives is a clear violation of the constitution, rendering it null and void. "If you look at section 1 of the 1999 Constitution, it says that any law that is inconsistent with the provision of the constitution is null and void," he explained. According to Adamson, the Local Government laws of Rivers State clearly prescribe a three-year term for local government chairmen, after which they must vacate office.
Criticizing the Governor, Adamson questioned the failure to conduct timely elections before the expiration of the local government chairmen's tenure. "What was he waiting for, if he knew clearly that the tenure of the Local Government Chairmen will elapse on a particular date? Why couldn't he conduct elections before that time?" Adamson asked rhetorically. He emphasized that conducting elections promptly would have aligned the Governor with the interests of the people.
Video Link. 11:13.