From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has accused the Senator representing Benue South Senatorial district Sen. Abba Moro of lying to the Senate over local government administration in the State.
The Governor also, demand that Sen. Abba Moro tender unreserved apologies to the people of Benue state and Nigerians for misleading the senate to pass resolutions on a matter they lack the constitutional powers to legislate upon.
Recalled that on Thursday 30th, December, 2023
Sen. Moro had on the floor of the Senate raised a motion of public interest concerning the constitution of care taker committees by Governor Alia to replace sacked democratically elected council chairmen.
Moro asked the Senate to make a pronouncement to halt the illegal constitution of the committee or stop statuory allocation to the State.
Reacting to the development, the Governor through his Chief Press Secretary Kula Tersoo while addressing newsmen at the weekend, said Sen. Moro misled the Red Chambers by feeding her with barefaced lies and unfounded insinuations concerning the true state of Local Government System leadership in Benue state.
According to him, ‘Moro, in ostentatious equanimity, manipulated the hallowed Chambers of the National Assembly that Governor Hyacinth Alia dissolved democratically elected leadership of the 23 Local Governments in the state.
“Moro also misinformed Distinguished Senators on the status of the court case between the former chairmen of the 23 LGA vs Benue state Government which was decided by the Industrial Court and is now at the Court of Appeal.
“He impishly referred to the sacking of Local Government Chairmen who were investigated and found culpable of unprecedented fraud as “Illegal dissolution of duly elected…”
“The facts of the matter is that, Governor Hyacinth Alia did not dissolve the democratically elected Local Government leadership in the state. The Benue State House of Assembly that is vested with the constitutional powers to legislate over the Local Government did.
“The Assembly did this in exercise of their constitutional responsibility as enshrined in sections 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“Gov. Alia only appointed Caretaker Committees to avoid lacunas that would have been created following recommendations of the Benue State House of Assembly who investigated, indicted and sacked the 23 elected chairmen who were found to have perpetrated monumental fraud in their councils in active connivance with various councilors.
