Nigeria: Another Rivers Local Council Chairperson Appoints Over 300 Aides

PREMIUM TIMES, Thursday, reported how Chijioke Ihunwo, the chairperson of the caretaker committee in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers, similarly appointed 100 people as his special assistants.

Another chairperson of a local government council in Rivers State, south-south Nigeria, has appointed over 300 assistants for himself.

Darlington Orji, the chairperson of the caretaker committee which manages the affairs of the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, made the appointment on 26 June. This was a few days after Governor Siminalayi Fubara inaugurated him and others as the local officials for the 23 local government areas of the state, pending when new officials are elected.

Mr Fubara handpicked all the officials.

A list of the people appointed as Mr Orji’s aides as posted on Facebook, showed that there are 311, but the blog which posted it said there are 600.

Some appointees are special assistants, while others are senior special assistants and executive assistants.

PREMIUM TIMES, Thursday, reported how Chijioke Ihunwo, the chairperson of the caretaker committee in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers, similarly appointed 100 people as his special assistants.

X users who commented on Mr Ihunwo’s action expressed shock and disappointment.

“I guess this is a joke taken too far?” said an X user, Ben Samuel (@flourish007).

“Otherwise, I would like you to define their job responsibilities or if they would be working (for) free.

“Who are these people, for God’s sake?” he added.

For now, it is unclear how many other councils have made similar appointments.

Protracted political battle

The inauguration of caretaker committees for the local councils in Rivers had caused controversy and violent clashes because the former elected officials whose tenure had expired refused to leave office, apparently because of the protracted political battle between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is the FCT minister.

Most of the former elected officials were Mr Wike’s loyalists.

The two estranged allies – Messrs Fubara and Wike – are fighting over the control of the political structure in the oil-rich state.

The political fight has split the state legislature into two factions and has disrupted governance in the state for over a year now.

Some analysts believe that the appointment of the numerous officials at the local councils in the state is a strategy by Mr Fubara’s camp to expand the governor’s political base and strengthen his grip as he fights to free himself from Mr Wike’s influence and control.