In a dramatic turn of events, the Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers State Chapter, Allwell Ihunda, fled from the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area secretariat as protesting youths stormed the premises on Tuesday.
Report had it that Ihunda, who was the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, was met with an unexpected barricade of angry youths when he arrived at the council secretariat.
Upon seeing Ihunda, it was reported that the youths surged towards him, prompting him to quickly retreat to his vehicle and drive off and his security team fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd, but the situation escalated as the youths chased after Ihunda’s vehicle.
The incident occurred amid tensions surrounding the expiration of Ihunda’s tenure on June 17th.
Ihunda, along with other local government chairmen elected under former Governor Nyesom Wike, had refused to vacate office, citing a local government amendment law passed by the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.
The law extended their tenure by six months due to the failure of Governor Siminlayi Fubara to conduct local government elections.The protesting youths expressed their frustration and disappointment, shouting slogans and chasing Ihunda’s convoy.
Their actions underscored the growing unrest and dissatisfaction among the local population regarding the governance of the local council. The incident highlights the volatile political climate in Rivers State and raises questions about the legality and legitimacy of the local government chairmen’s actions in the face of expired terms and a lack of new elections.
