Despite police warnings, supporters of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, defied orders and staged a protest on Monday over the local government tenure elongation crisis in Rivers State.
The protesters, numbering about 100, gathered near the post office along Azikiwe Road and marched to the Port Harcourt City Local Government Secretariat on Bank Road, where they encountered a police barricade.
The demonstrators carried placards with messages such as “Police keep to your words, CTC is unconstitutional” and “Let the court decide,” expressing their dissatisfaction with the current situation and their support for the police to maintain order at the local government councils.
The state police command had earlier advised the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees and other groups to suspend their planned protests to prevent potential infiltration by miscreants. However, the protesters insisted their actions were peaceful and aimed at ensuring the police continued to guard the council premises.
