Chairmen of all the 23 local government areas of Benue State have vowed not to comply with Governor Hyacinth Alia’s directive of suspension, ousting them from office.
Sequel to a recommendation by the state’s House of Assembly to Governor Alia to suspend the 23 LGAs chairmen in order to pave the way for investigation into their financial activities, the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair (BLGCA) on Friday ordered the council chairmen to hand over to the most senior staff in their various councils.
Reacting on Saturday in Makurdi, the chairmen vowed neither to comply with the instruction from the state lawmakers nor that of the BLGCA.
The Chairman of Guma LG and Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Benue State chapter, Mike Uba, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they would not surrender to illegality as doing so will mean a disservice to the state.
He said that they were duly elected into office alongside their councillors on April 30, 2022 for two years tenure, which will constitutionally come to an end by April 30, 2024, wondering why the state government would want their tenure short-lived without cogent reason.
“We state without the slightest modicum of ambiguity or prevarication that we do not recognise such suspension from office from such quarters as are purporting it, neither do we consider ourselves under any obligation to give heed to same or comply with any directive as emanates from it,”
