*Calls on Sen Moro to tender unreserved apologies
By; ARCHIBONG ESUENE, Makurdi
The Benue State Government has accused Senator representing Benue South, Patrick Abba Moro of feeding Senate with barefaced lies concerning the true state of local government system leadership in the state.In the same vein, the state government accused the Senator of manipulating
the Senate that Governor Hyacinth Alia dissolved democratically elected leadership when me knows very well that they were sacked by the State House of Assembly after proper investigation.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Tersoo Kulas, the Senator
also misinformed his colleagues on the status of the court case between the former chairmen of the 23 LGAs vs Benue State Government, which was decided by the Industrial Court and is now at the Court of Appeal.
The statement explained that the local government chairmen were investigated and found culpable of unprecedented fraud by the Assembly as vested with constitutional powers to legislate over local government areas.According to the Press Secretary, 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.
“The appointment of caretaker committees by the governor was 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,” it said. The statement also revealed that the Benue State Government appealed the judgment of the Industrial Court. The appeal was files on the 24th November, 2023 and numbered, Appeal No. CA/MKD/155/2023
The government also noted that If not for political undertones, and avowed interruption as is obvious in his outing in discourse, when did Moro realize appointing caretaker committee is “erosion of Democracy” when during the PDP reign in the state between 2015-2023 he participated as major stakeholder in lots of moments LGA were run by caretaker committees.
“We call on Sen. Abba Moro to 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” the statement said.
