From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Aondona Dajoh, has said that the suspended Council Chairmen in the State were simply displaying crass ignorance of the Constitution and other extant laws.
Dajoh was reacting to the refusal of the Chairmen to leave office after their suspension.
Recall that the 23 Local Government Council chairmen were sack after a House committee recommended their suspension to allow them investigate them for financial impropriety.
After their suspension was announced, the Chairmen led by the state ALGON chairman and chairman of Guma, Michael Uba, described the act as illegal saying they are not leaving office but will resume work on Monday as chief executives of their respective councils.
Reacting to their stance, Speaker their action as ill informed and crass display of high level of ignorance of the Constitution and other extant laws.
Dajoh said “It is appalling that the suspended Council Chairmen are not aware that Chapter 5, Part 2, Section 128 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended empowers the State House of Assembly to cause investigation into any matter it has powers to make laws upon (Section 128 sub 1(a), especially if such an investigation is for the purpose of exposing Corruption, inefficiency of waste in the execution or administration of laws within it’s legislative competence, section 128 sub 2(b).
He said the suspended Chairmen ought to have been aware that Section 7 of the same Constitution which they flagrantly refused to be acquainted with grants the State House of Assembly the powers to make laws for the Structure, composition, functions and financing of the Local Government and it was on the strength of this constitutional provision that the Benue State Local Government Establishment law was passed by the State House of Assembly.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Local Government Establishment Law also empowers the State House of Assembly to make recommendations where and when necessary to the Governor for the suspension of Local Government Councils in cases of misappropriation of public funds or Gross abuse of office by any of them.”
He restated that the Benue State House of Assembly came up with the recommendation for the suspension of all the Local Government Councils in the State following the consideration of a report on the income and expenditures of all the Local Government Councils forwarded to it by the State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia and a request to the House to investigate into the matter in line with Section 128 sub 1and 2 of the Constitution.
“The suspension of the Councils was ordered by the House following glaring cases of misappropriation of public funds and open disregard for relevant financial laws such as Financial Memorandum and Financial Instructions by the suspended Council Chairmen and the need for them to pave the way for a smooth and hitch free detailed investigation into their financial records.”
He posited that “If the suspended Council Chairmen have nothing to hide, they should rather feel free to cooperate with the adhoc Committee set up by the House of Assembly headed by Hon Peter Ipusu in order to prove their innocence rather than playing to the gallery through Press Conferences, knowing fully that if not found guilty, they will be reinstated at the end of the investigations.”
In a statement signed by the speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Akume Raphael, Dajoh urged the Benue people to be aware that the investigation been carried into the income and expenditures of the suspended Local Government Councils in the State is in line with Sections 7, 103 128, 129 of the Constitution and the State Local Government Establishment Law.