By Chiangi Avese, Makurdi
The Benue State Government has vehemently called out the Senator representing Benue-South, Abba Moro for making a dalse statement, saying the state government had sacked elected Local Government Chairmen and replaced them with Caretaker Committees.
In a joint press conference in Makurdi at the weekend, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula and the Special Adviser to the governor, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Denis Akura, described Moro’s presentation on the floor of the Senate as “delusive lies” over the state of local councils administration in Benue State.
According to the duo, Sen. Moro had, “in ostentatious equanimity, manipulated the hallowed Chambers of the National Assembly into believing that Governor Hyacinth Alia dissolved democratically-elected leadership of the 23 Local Governments in the state”.
Absolving the governor of blame, the CPS pointed out that it was indeed the State House of Assembly which is constitutionally vested with the responsibility to legislate on local governments that directed the action after it found the Chairman complicit in fraudulent activities.
“Gov. Hyacinth Alia did not dissolve the democratically-elected Local Government leadership in the state.
“The Benue State House of Assembly that is vested with the constitutional powers to legislate over the local government did,” Kula said.
He added that, “the Assembly did this in exercise of their constitutional responsibility as enshrined in sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended”.
“Governor Alia only appointed Caretaker Committees to avoid lacunas that would have been created, following the recommendation of the 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 councillors”.
He said though, the chairmen had obtained a judgement at the Industrial Court in their favour, “Benue State Government appealed the judgement of the Industrial Court.
“The appeal was filed on the 24th November 2023, and numbered, Appeal No. CA/MKD/155/2023”.
The state government is worried that, Sen. Abba Moro, a former Sole Administrator and Caretaker Committee Chairman of Okpokwu LGA under the same 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, could muster the moral to speak of “erosion of democracy”.
The duo then called on Sen. Abba Moro to tender unreserved apology to the people of Benue State and Nigerians for misleading the Senate to pass resolutions on a matter they lack the constitutional powers to legislate upon.
