BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT—TWO weeks after Rivers State governor Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, dissolved Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, the Chairman, Mr. Timothy Nsirim and his 17 councillors have refused to hand over to the Head of Local Government Administration, HLGA, in the local government, as directed by the governor.

Recall that the elected executives of the council were suspended by the state House of Assembly six months ago.

They later secured a court judgment which invalidated the suspension.

Barely five days after the court victory, Governor Amaechi dissolved the council.

Mr. Nsirim and his councilors have refused to comply with the dissolution, saying the governor lacked powers to sack an elected local government council.

Meanwhile, the Head of Local Government Administration, Mr Azuibike Singer, at a briefing, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, appealed to Nsirim and the councilors to be law abiding, saying they could still go to court to challenge the dissolution if they were not satisfied with the action of the governor.

He urged those doing business in the area to pay their taxes and levies at designated banks and not to make payment to any individual.

He said: “The people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, banks and private business organisations operating in the area, should not regard or honour any document in form of letter or announcement, signed by Mr. Timothy Nsirim and in view of this, I advise that all doing business in the area, banks and others, should not honour any individual in the name of revenue collection because I understand that some people are going about impounding people’s vehicles, seizing property in the name of revenue collection.

“Please, I want to use this opportunity to warn that since the dissolution, council has not authorised any person to collect revenue on her behalf, we are therefore saying that all those who have not paid their levies and taxes for the year 2013 should pay their revenues at the designated banks.”