By Our Reporter
In the wee hours of Monday May 22nd 2019, the atmosphere in Bomu, one of the Communities in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State was charged with tension following sudden gun shots that sent everybody panicky. A clash had broken out within the ranks of the Dee Well cult group in the said community which led to exchange of fire. In the course of the gun battle, a notorious cultist, already declared wanted by the Rivers State Government, Barigiasi, popularly known as Akin Man, was gunned down alongside his younger brother who was equally deadly.
Sources that confirmed his death attested to of that the fight broken out following the deceased’s attempts to kill another high ranking member of the cult group. While his younger brother has been confirmed buried, Barigiasi has been embalmed.
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“REAL REASONS RIVERS STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION WILL HOLD”- RIVERS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE, EMMANUEL AGUMA DECLARES
In few days time Rivers state Independent Electoral Commission-RVSIEC will conduct elections into various positions of Chairmanship and Councilors in the 23 Local Government Areas and 319 Wards in the state. But the 66 registered political parties jostling for the positions are not having it easy as two of the political parties All Progressive Congress-APC and African Democratic Party have pulled out from participation in the polls.
However Rivers State Government has declared that the June 16, 2018 Local Government Elections in the state will hold as scheduled because there is no legal impediment stopping the polls. The Rivers Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Emmanuel Aguma (SAN), stated the position of the State Government in a Rhythm 93.7 FM Radio programme “VIEW POINT”anchored by Segun Owolabi in Port Harcourt on Saturday 2nd of June, 2018. In making further clarification the Rivers State Attorney General also declared that “’the All Progressive Congress (APC) went to court to validate the 2015 Local Government Election, but lost as the court dismissed the matter”’. During the Media chat he said, “The High Court of Rivers State dismissed that case and told them that those elected during the 2015 Local Government Elections have no tenure. The Attorney General noted that the APC never appealed the judgment of suit number PHC/47/2015 which stated that the May 25, 2015 local government election was illegal. It was also gathered that the Rivers State APC legal representative cum counsel Roland Otaru (SAN) filed the suit on their behalf as the presiding Judge delivered judgment on September 30, 2015.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for justice said under the new law governing local government election, nobody can stop Local Government elections. According to him, section 62: 2 of the Rivers State Local Government Election was lifted from Section 87: 10 of the Electoral 2010 (as amended), which bars the stoppage of elections. “This law works at the Federal Level. Why won’t it work at the state level? “. He explained that what is pending at the Supreme Court is whether or not the sacked council chiefs can be granted the right to appeal their dissolution.
Already All Progressive Congress –APC Rivers state chapter currently do not have elected executives as the purported Wards, LGAs and state Congress held on Saturday 19th, 20th and 21st of May, 2018 has been cancelled by Justice Chikwendu Nwogu following the interlocutory injunction secured by Senator Magnus Ngei Abe and his APC member-followers.