Stop statutory allocations of LGAs under unelected officials – Senate urges FG

The Senate has passed a resolution urging the Federal Government to withhold statutory allocations of local government councils being governed by unelected officials.

The upper Chamber passed the resolution yesterday, after the lawmakers adopted a motion on Urgent need to halt the erosion of democracy; the dissolution of elected councils in Benue, at plenary yesterday, which was sponsored by Senator Abba Moro.

Presenting the Motion, Moro said that democratically-elected local government councils had been dissolved by the Benue State Government, which replaced them with caretaker committees.

He said, however, constituting caretaker committees was an aberration and alien to the 1999 Constitution. According to him, it was the constitutional responsibility of every State to ensure the existence of local government councils by law.

There are subsisting court rulings directing the governor, the House of Assembly, their agents, privies, among others from tampering with the tenure of the elected local councils, he emphasised.

Also contributing, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole said that the Supreme Court had ruled that state governors had no power to dissolve elected local government councils. He urged the Senate to prevail on the Minister of Finance not to release statutory allocation to unelected local government councils in the country.

Sen. Ali Ndume also said the matter had to do with the Constitution, urging the dissolved councils to approach law courts for redress.

President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, on his part, said dissolution of elected local government councils by state government was illegal.

The Senate urged Gov. Hyacinth Alia, of Benue, to restore the elected local government councils, in line with the Constitution.

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