By Jimitota Onoyume

Port Harcourt—About 2,000 placard- carrying youths, yesterday, protested an alleged plan by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, to dissolve the elected council executives in 22 local government areas of the state sworn in by former Governor Rotimi  Amaechi  on May 25 before the end of his tenure on May 29.

The protesters, led by Degema Local Government Area Chairman, Mr Sogbeye Eli and some others, barricaded Moscow Road, leading to Rivers State House of Assembly complex in Port Harcourt.

Some of the placards had inscriptions such as “You can’t dissolve elected council exco,” “Era of impunity is over in Nigeria,” among others.

PROTEST: Rivers youths protesting alleged plan by the state government to dissolve elected council executives in 22 local government areas of the state, in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Chairman of Degema council, Mr Eli,  who spoke for all the council chairmen, said that they resolved  to march  to the Assembly premises because they heard  of alleged moves by the lawmakers to  direct the governor to dissolve the elected council executives.

He said  they will resist any attempt by the state government to dissolve properly constituted local government executives, stressing that the era of abuse of power was over in the country.

Urging the National Assembly, civil society organisations and other allied bodies to prevail on the state government from going ahead with the alleged plot,  Mr Eli said similar elected council executives were sworn in by the former governor of Plateau State the week  he left office, adding that there had been no threat to sack the executives. “So why should Rivers State be an exception,” he said.

He expressed fears that the dissolution of the council executives could provoke another round of crisis in the state, adding that the elected council executives would defend the nation’s democracy.

“We must defend our democracy. There is a sinister plot by the government of Rivers State to plunge the state into another round of avoidable crisis after the mindless bloodletting the state saw during the elections,” he said.

The council boss  added that the recent dissolution of the Professor Augustine Ahiazu-led Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, was politically motivated to allegedly pave the way for the governor to sack the elected council executives.