Says Fubara Has No Right To Withhold LG Funds
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Wahab Shittu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has said that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s plan to probe his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, is a kind of self indictment.
Fubara has vowed to set up a panel of inquiry into the Wike administration.
But during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Shittu said Fubara was part of the same government he wanted to probe.
He said, “I am happy that what the governor of Rivers State is saying he acknowledged that he was a part and parcel of that same government. Fubara was part and parcel of the Wike administration. He played a fundamental role in that government. If he is saying that something went wrong in that government, in my view that amounts to a kind of self indictment.
“I am happy that he acknowledged that in his statement. Aside from that, government is a continuation, a work in progress. If Governor Wike said he awarded contracts, the question we will ask is that did he award that contract? We know the reputation Governor Wike had before he left office; he was generally acknowledged as Mr Projects. We saw him commissioning projects here and there all over the state. And the general consensus is that he could not have executed those projects using his personnel resources.
“The question to be asked is whether the projects were for the collective benefit of the people of the state? Whether he had some personnel benefits; whether there is corruption and wastages. The context in which Fubara made the allegation, which is the context of the crisis, is political. The best thing for everyone is to keep an open mind. I will not say Wike is innocent or guilty. I will not say Fubara’s allegations are true or false.”
Also, Wahab Shittu, said the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has no right under the law to withhold the state’s local government funds.
Last week, the state chapter of the Association of Local Government Areas of Nigeria accused Fubara of withholding funds meant for the 23 LGs in the state.
The state ALGON stated that the governor’s action had denied members of their functions in the administration of the third tier of government.
The LG chairmen added that Fubara’s action was tantamount to proscribing local government councils in the state.
He said, “I can say for free that Governor Fubara of Rivers State has no constitutional powers to withhold local government funds. The local government tier of government is recognised by Section 7 of the Constitution,” he said.
He added that the constitution acknowledged the framework of democratically elected local government councils, saying that it mandates that each state must enact a corresponding law.
“The constitution recognises the system of democratically elected local government council areas and mandates that each state provides a corresponding law. In the case of Lagos State, we have the Local Government Administration Law, which regulates the establishment, structure, finances, and other related aspects.
“So, clearly, Governor Fubara has no right under the law to withhold local government funds of Ahoada Local Government or any other local government,” he concluded.
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