Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has instructed the newly sworn-in caretaker committee chairmen to operate remotely if accessing council secretariats would disrupt peace.

After swearing in the 23 chairmen at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Governor Fubara advised against confrontation with security personnel occupying the council secretariats. He emphasized, “I do not want any confrontation. It is not in my nature. It is not my style.”

Fubara urged the chairmen to be law-abiding and avoid any actions that could escalate tensions, saying, “Whatever happened yesterday is known to the world and it is not from you. Some persons caused it. Let us not allow them to make our state look bad in the comity of states.”

The governor noted that the caretaker chairmen’s tenure would be brief, as the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) would soon initiate the process for local government elections.

The state police command announced on Tuesday that it had taken over all local government council headquarters to prevent further violence and maintain order. This followed a clash between supporters of Fubara and those of his predecessor, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, which resulted in the deaths of a policeman and a member of a local security outfit.

Fubara and Wike have been in conflict since late last year, and the crisis intensified on Tuesday when youths loyal to Fubara ousted chairmen loyal to Wike after their tenure expired.

Darlington Orji, one of the newly sworn-in caretaker chairmen, reported being denied access to the Ikwerre Local Government Area headquarters by security agents. He stated, “Upon swearing in today, we were asked to resume so that we can swear in our members. I got to Ikwerre Local Government Council and saw it barricaded by security agents. I asked why and was told they were acting on the orders of the Inspector General of Police. I didn’t want to break the law, so I refrained from forcing entry.”

Orji assured that he was committed to maintaining law and order and protecting his people while seeking a resolution to the standoff with the security agents.