Following a motion by Senator Aba Moro representing Benue South Senatorial District (PDP), calling on the federal government to stop the release of allocation to caretaker chairmen in Benue State, Benue State Government says the Senate has no constitutional powers to legislate on local government matters.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula who was reacting to the senator’s motion recently in a joint press conference with Special Adviser to the Governor on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr Dennis Akura, he said members of the red chambers were misled by Senator Moro.
According to the Chief Press Secretary, Governor Hyacinth Alia on assumption of office, discovered gross financial impropriety perpetuated by the former council chairmen which resulted in their suspension to pave the way for investigation.
He explained that upon investigation, the former council chairmen were found culpable of misappropriating local government funds that were entrusted in their care and were subsequently sacked.
The Chief Press Secretary wondered why as former council chairman in the state, Senator Moro has forgotten so soon the workings of the third tier of government.
The governor’s spokesman who lambasted Senator Aba Moro for feeding the senate with “bare face lies and unfounded insinuations that Governor Hyacinth Alia has dissolved the democratically elected local government council chairmen in the state”, said the Benue State House of Assembly whose constitutional responsibility it is to legislate over local government councils acted as enshrined in sections 7 and 8 of the country’s 1999 constitution as amended.
He said the appointment of caretaker chairmen to run the third tier of government in the state was to avoid a lacuna that the sacking of the former council chairmen has created.
He explained that the sacking of the former council chairmen was a recommendation by the Benue State House of Assembly who investigated and indicted the 23 local government council chairmen for monumental fraud in connivance with their councillors.
The Chief Press Secretary who expressed surprise that having served as caretaker chairman as well as sole administrator of Okpokwu Local Government Council has suddenly seen caretaker chairmen as eroding of democratic structures. He urged him to tender an unreserved apology to the people of the state as well as Benue State House of Assembly.
He called on the Nigerian Senate to always properly scrutinise its motion papers to avoid a repeat of Senator Aba Moro’s mischief to avoid being made a laughing stock.
In his comments, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr Dennis Akura said Senator Aba Moro lacked moral standing to accuse Governor Alia of eroding democratic structures in the state having “watched democracy stripped naked in the state at several instances”
He argued that Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia who knows the rule of law did not sack democratically elected local government council chairmen but rather it was the recommendation of the state House of Assembly which is vested with the constitutional responsibility of investigating and legislating over local government councils.
It will be recalled that Senator Aba Moro few days ago during plenary, presented a motion on the floor of the Senate, calling on the Senate to intervene in the eroding of democratic structures in Benue State, following the sacking of 23 local government council chairmen by the Benue State House of Assembly for misappropriating local government funds.
