*Says They Won’t Vacate Office After Tenure Expiration
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The Rivers State chapter of the Association of Local Government Areas of Nigeria has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of withholding its funds meant for the 23 LGAs in the state.
The state ALGON said the action had denied them of their functions in the administration of the third tier of government.
The LG chairmen said the action of the Governor is tantamount to proscribing local government councils in the state, even as they backed the call by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Tony Okocha, for the State House of Assembly to commence impeachment procedings against the Governor.
The State ALGON Chairman and Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Allwell Ihunda, stated this at a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Ihunda stated, “It has come to the notice of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Rivers State chapter, that the Rivers State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has neglected, failed, and deliberately refused to hold the statutory Joint Account Allocation Committee Meeting which is the prerequisite for the release and disbursement of funds due to the local government in the State Joint Local Government Accounts.
“And has continued to withhold the statutory allocations due to the 23 local government councils of Rivers State since April 2024.
“And in the case of Emuoha LGA since March 2024 till date for no just course, thereby starving the third tier of the government of the funds required to discharge its statutory functions in the administration of the local government areas.”
He also accused Fubara of holding meeting with top personnel of the local government councils where he directed them to go and compile for presentation to him, of the salary vouchers and overheads of civil servants, excluding the chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors and other political office-holders in the LGAs.
The ALGON chairman said: “It has also come to our notice that the governor of Rivers State held a meeting with heads of local government administration (HLGA), heads of personnel management (HPM), treasurers of local governments and other directors on Monday, May 6, 2024 in Government House, Port Harcourt, whereas he directed them to go and compile for presentation to him, of salary vouchers and overheads of civil servants, excluding chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors and other political office holders, for the various local governments with a view to unlawfully dip his hands into local government funds to pay staff salaries directly without the involvement of democratically elected local government chairmen.
“In other words, the governor of Rivers State is seeking to proscribe the system of local government by democratically elected local government councils which is guaranteed under Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
“This action is tantamount to an illegal proscription of local government councils by a governor, who recently announced that members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are non-existent or merely at his convenience/mercy. This are a clear signs that Rivers State is on the verge of being plunged into the dark ages of totalitarianism and autocratic rule under His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.”
Meanwhile, the state’s chapter of ALGON has declared that the incumbent chairmen of the 23 local government councils in the state, will not vacate their offices after the expiration of their tenure on June 17, 2024.
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