By Abubakar LAWAL, Lafia
Indications emerged that Nasarawa State Government would not conduct elections into local government Councils due to downturn in the state’s finances.
Chairman House Committee on State Independent Electoral Commission, NASEIC, Hon. Muhammadu Okpede revealed this in an interview with news men in his country home Doma, the headquarters of Doma local government area.
“ Governor, Umar Al-makura has made it clear that he can’t hold any local government election now because the state is financially broke.”
Hon. Okpede said further that in a meeting between the state lawmakers and Al-makura to deliberate on his plan to constitute sole administrators to manage the affairs of local government Councils he told them that considering the nation’s economic instability which was also applicable to the state there was not going to be any election until further notice, he maintained.
The chairman house committee on NASEIC also confirmed to newsmen that the house of assembly has notified government to prepared for the conduct of local government election 3 months upon expiration of former chairman and nothing was done to that regard.
“When we are called at the instance of the governor, Al-makura, he pleaded with members as well as informed us of his intention to appoint sole administrators to oversee the councils based on what he described as doctrine of necessity.”
Hon. Okpede debunked the allegations by the dissenting 6 members of the Assembly who alleged that Ghana must go had exchanged hands between the 19 lawmakers and Al-makura for the lawmakers to okay the appointment of sole administrators. He stressed that what they did was not out of place having studied the financial situation of the state , and also there was court order restraining the appointment of TMC or DPMs as heads of councils, he noted.
“As lawmakers we are not lawbreakers there is no other option than to accept the proposal and give the governor express endorsement to go ahead with the appointment as you know with the existing order from the court local governments will not operate without captain’s to steer their ship”.
It would be recalled that 6 out of the 24 members excluded themselves from the decision to appoint sole administrators in the 11 local government Councils of the state, a situation which generated a lot of controversies and leading to their indefinite suspension from any activities related to the lawmaking business of the House even as they would receive only half salaries without allowances for labeling their colleagues as corrupt and bribe takers.
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