Kogi Assembly upholds Dekina LG Boss’ suspension, calls for impeachment

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Kogi House of Assembly on Wednesday upheld the suspension of Dekina Local Government chairman, Mr Mohammed Ali and urged the Legislative Council to commence his impeachment processes immediately.
mohammed ali

The resolution of the house at Wednesday’s plenary followed the adoption of the report of the adhoc committee constituted by the house to investigate the crisis that led to the suspension of the council boss on July 10.

Presenting the report, the committee chairman, Mr Gabriel Daudu (PDP-Ogori-Magongo) said the committee was set up on July 15, to investigate the seven-point allegation bordering on misappropriation of public funds, misconduct and absenteeism.

The allegations leveled against the suspended chairman include: Breach of the Law on presentation of allocations to the Legislative Council and operation of the council’s Budget without recourse to existing rules.

They also include Gross misconduct arising from absence from office without justification; non-recording of up to 20 per cent attendance in office in the last one year; Non-rendition of Local Government accounts (inability to account for monies received for and on behalf of the Local Government).

Others are Lack of meaningful development and Non-payment of full salaries to workers in spite of “tremendous retrenchments” carried out in phases.

Daudu said that all concerned officers in the council including the suspended chairman were invited and each of the seven allegations was treated in isolation for the committee to arrive at the recommendations.

The committee, he said, identified misuse of funds by the suspended chairman in the month of May, 2013 to the tune of N3.38 million adding that most of the expenditures and disbursements in the council were single-handedly carried out by the chairman.

According to the expenditure profile of the chairman, he added, an estimated N20.25 million was expended between January and May, 2013 “when even the council was not in place” and there was no breakdown of how the money was disbursed.

The committee, Daudu said, observed that the suspended chairman, in spite of the monthly allocations to the council, could not point at any project he executed with the council’s allocations except projects executed with SURE-P intervention funds.

The council therefore recommended that the suspension order placed on the chairman by the Legislative Council be upheld.

Member representing Dekina-Biraidu constituency in the house, Chief Paul Gowon Haruna, moved for the adoption of the report with an amendment that the Dekina Legislative Council be mandated to commence impeachment process against Ali, the suspended chairman.

Elder Friday Sani (PDP-Igalamela/Odolu) seconded the motion saying that the impeachment must follow due process with appropriate agencies playing their respective roles.

Speaker of the house, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal following majority voice votes adopted the report with the amendments.

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