The Rivers State Local Government Area Chairmen have backed the call by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in
the call on the Rivers State House of Assembly to curtly proceed with an impeachment process on the governor of Rivers state, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
The 21 LGA chairmen in the state, said the call was of importance, to safeguard
democracy and instill the Rule of Law in the state.
The chairman of the Association Of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON in the state, Hon. Allwell Ihunda, who is also the
chairman of Port Harcourt City LGA, while addressing pressmen in Port Harcourt, denounced that the Governor of the state has withheld allocation of the LGAs
since April.
Hon. Allwell Ihunda further stated that the development was a show of executive rascality on the part of the governor, noting that the governor has refused to convene the Joint Account Allocation Committee Meeting (JAAC) which is the prerequisite for the release and disbursement of funds
between the state and LGAs.
He described the governor’s action as illegal, saying that the state is on the verge of being pushed into totalitarianism.
Hon Ihunda in his speech, said,
“It has come to the notice of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Rivers State Chapter that the Rivers State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, GSSRS, has neglected, failed, and deliberately refused to hold the statutory Joint Account Allocation Committee Meeting (JAAC) which is the prerequisite for the release and disbursement of funds due to the Local Governments in the State Joint Local Government Account and has continued to withhold the statutory allocation due to the 23 Local Governments Councils of Rivers State since the month of April 2024 (and in the case of Emohua since March 2024) till date for no just cause, 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 further 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 the 6th day of May 2024 in Government House Port Harcourt whereat he directed them to go and compile for presentation to him the salary vouchers and overheads of civil servants (excluding
Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Councilors, and other political office holders), for the various Local Governments with a view to unlawfully dipping his hands into Local Government
funds to pay staff salaries directly without the involvement
of the democratically elected Local Government Chairmen.”
Ihunda pointed, out that the Governor of the state is seeking to proscribe the system of Local Government guaranteed under section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, noting that the action is tantamount to an illegal proscription of the Local Government Councils.
