5th October, 2016
The Kogi State Government and the House of Assembly are currently at loggerheads over the suspension of five local government sole administrators by the latter.
Mrs. Petra Onyegbule, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Yahaya Bello, revealed in a statement that the governor is yet to be briefed by the Assembly on why it suspended the council administrators.
Following this, the administrators are not expected to vacate their respective offices and functions, she stated.
“Until such communication is done, the administrators would not be expected to leave a vacuum in the administration of their respective local government areas,” she added.
Reacting to the suspension of the Council Administrators, Petra noted that although Bello will continue to hold the Assembly in high esteem and respects the principle of Separation of Powers, he urged the lawmakers “to avoid the temptation of giving room to destructive politics.”
The Kogi State House of Assembly on Tuesday wielded the big stick against some local government administrators, accusing them of offences bordering on truancy and financial recklessness.
It suspended five of the administrators including Taofiq Isah, the administrator of Ijumu Local Government who was also Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON.
Other suspended Council bosses are Baron Okwoli- Igalamela/Odolu Local Government, Moses Olorunleke- Kabba/Bunu Local Government, Abdulrahim Ohiere- Okehi local Government and Moses Akande- Ogori/Magongo Local Government.
The suspension was effected under matters of urgent public importance brought by Friday Sani (Igalamela/Odolu) and seconded by Sunday Obaro (Mopamuro).
The affected administrators were directed to handover all government properties in their custody to Secretaries in their respective councils until the outcome of ongoing investigations by the Public Accounts/ Public Finance and Appropriation Committees of the Assembly.
The Assembly also accused the administrators of perpetually abandoning their duty posts while turning Lokoja the state capital to their home and thereby undermining the Assembly.