RSG Dissolves RSIEC, JSC

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, at the working session of the G7 Outreach Programme in Schloss Elmau, Germany on Monday

The Governor of Rivers State, Barr Nyesom Wike has dissolved the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and the State Judicial Service Commission (RSJSC).
The Governor ordered the immediate dissolution of both commissions following a directive from the Rivers State House of Assembly which indicted the officials of both commissions for official misconduct and recommended the dissolution of the commissions
In a statement made available to The Tide and signed by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the governor directed the chairman of RSIEC to hand over to the most senior civil servant in the commission while the chairman of the state Judicial Service Commission is to handover to the Acting Chief Judge of the State.
Before the dissolution of the two commissions, the chairmen of the two boards had appeared before the state House of Assembly on Monday to defend their activities.
Leader of the House, Hon. Martins Amaewhule who moved for the dissolution of the two commissions said the actions of the chairmen brought a huge setback to the state.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Omuma Constituency in the House, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu has dismissed the claims by the All Progressives Congress(APC) that the lawmakers acted beyond their boundaries, since the matter relating to RSIEC was in the courts.
Hon. Nwogu told newsmen that the Assembly restricted itself within area of its oversight function, “ what we have done is part our oversight functions.
What we discussed today is not anyway before the court of law we only looked at how the commission has been carrying out its function and what was in the court is election matter and we did not dabble into that.”
He further explained that the decision to dissolve the state electoral commission was as a result of their misconduct as they spent money that was not appropriated to them hence contravening law setting it up.
It would be recalled that the APC had in a statement in Port Harcourt by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Finebone condemned the action of the governor, saying it was illegal.
He said: “The APC, Rivers State chapter condemns in strong terms, the wanton and illegal dismantling of the state structures by the governor of Rivers State, Wike”.