There are 23 local government areas in the state.
The lawmakers also recommended that the chairmen immediately hand over the affairs of their respective councils to their Directors of General Service and Administration.
Recall that the local government chairmen who were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and were inaugurated in June 2022 for a two-year term had secured a judgement of the National Industrial Court in Makurdi guaranteeing their full tenure.
The judgement, which was delivered on June 15, 2023, followed a case instituted by the then-serving council chairmen. They got judgement in their favour to the effect that their tenure should run full course as provided under the law without let or hindrance from any quarters.
A few days after securing the judgement, the state governor, Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia, in a meeting with the council chairmen, directed them to furnish him with the income and expenditure of their respective council areas for three months, which had been hitherto forwarded to the house.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the chairman of a three-man ad-hoc committee chaired by Peter Ipusu, he admonished the state governor to set up a caretaker committee in the third tier of government.
The assembly requested the Commissioner of Police to ensure a seamless takeover at the various local government councils headquarters without any friction
Parts of the statement read, “The committee prays this Honourable House to extend the period of review to cover for the entire tenure of the outgone administration (June 2015 to May 2023)
“In order to conduct the review without any interference, the committee recommends the immediate suspension of Executive Council Chairmen in all 23 local government councils and also the legislative councils for conniving with the Executive Councils to mismanage public funds put in their trust.
“The Council Chairmen are hereby directed to hand over the affairs of the Local Government Councils, all government properties in their possession, including official vehicles, to the DGSAs with immediate effect and proceed on suspension pending the completion of investigation into their books of accounts and other related matters.
“The governor should proceed to set up caretaker committees in line with the Benue State Local Government Law.”
