By Akinwale Kasali
Following the decision of the Senate to withhold the Local Government Allocations of non-Democratically Elected Local Government in Nigeria, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has asked the Legislative body to rescind its decision.
Senator Abba Moro, the Minority Leader, had during Plenary last Friday called on the Senate to withhold the statutory allocations for non-democratically elected Local Government Councils across the country. This prompted Governor Alia to cautoon Moro, a Senator from his State, not to mislead the Senate on the statusof Local Government in the State.
At a Press Statement addressed by Governor Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, held in Makurdi Saturday night, he said there was no time the Governor dissolved the democratically elected Local Government Leadership in the State.
He stressed that the State House of Assembly, vested with the constitutional powers to legislate over the third tier of Government, dissolved the Council members, citing sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The Governor said he only appointed Caretaker Committees to avoid lacuna that would have been created following the recommendations of the Benue State House of Assembly which investigated, indicted, and sacked the 23 elected Chairmen who were found to have perpetrated monumental fraud in their Councils in active connivance with various Councilors.
The Governor said that contrary to the impression given by Moro – the Senate Minority leader – that his administration did not appeal the earlier Court judgment, Benue state Government appealed the judgment of the Industrial Court.
“The appeal was filed on the 24th November 2023, and numbered, Appeal No. CA/MKD/155/2023
“We are calling on the Nigeria senate to always properly scrutinize their motion papers to avoid a repeat of what Senator Moro led them into.
“It will be a gross disservice for our distinguished senators to allow some selfish ones amongst them to drag them to becoming a laughing stock,” he said.
