Members of opposition parties in the House of Representatives, operating under the umbrella of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), have voiced their strong opposition to the proposed extension of the tenure of Local Government Chairmen in Rivers State, whose terms are set to expire in a matter of weeks.
The extension, purportedly orchestrated by certain members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who have recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), has drawn sharp criticism from CUPP lawmakers. At a press conference held in Abuja yesterday, the spokesperson for the coalition, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, vehemently rejected the move.
Ugochinyere condemned what he labeled as a calculated attempt by the embattled members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to circumvent Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s veto without subjecting the contentious bill to the Governor for assent.
The lawmaker from Imo State characterized the passage of such controversial legislation as a recipe for chaos and lawlessness, denouncing the purported tenure elongation of the Rivers State Local Government Chairmen as “legislative rascality” and an affront to democracy that is bound to fail.
Ugochinyere emphasized that the alarming development signifies an “invitation to anarchy” and represents an endeavor to undermine the presidential peace accord that the embattled lawmakers, who are facing legitimacy questions, had previously committed to.
The opposition’s strong stance underscores the gravity of the situation, as they rally against what they perceive as a brazen assault on democratic principles and institutional integrity.
