Caretaker committee chairmen of the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State have dragged the state Governor, Bala Mohammed, to court for allegedly disengaging them before the expiration of their tenure.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday on behalf of his colleagues, the former caretaker chairman of Bauchi LGA, Alhaji Chindo Abdu claimed that they were appointed by the former governor to serve for a period of nine months each that would elapse in September this year.
He said Governor Bala Mohammed, immediately after taking over, issued a statement directing all political appointees to vacate their offices without allegedly taking into cognisance the law that appointed them which he alleged stipulated that they were to serve for nine months.
According to him, after reading the governor’s press statement on the disengagement of political office holders, they wrote a letter to him through the secretary to the state government enlightening him that ‘by law’, their tenure would elapse in September, but he still allegedly withheld their salaries and allowances.
“Based on the appointment letters we have, we are to stay there for nine months. And that nine months is going to expire in September.
“This month has ended, there is no salary and entitlements which we deserve. Based on that, we approached Bauchi State high court to demand for our rights,” he said.
Chindo added that they are asking the court to order their reinstatement and payment of their salaries arrears and outstanding allowances allegedly withheld by the governor.
