Benue Assembly Suspends 23 LG Chairmen, 276 Councillors

Benue State House of Assembly has accepted the recommendation for the immediate suspension of the chairmen of the 23 local government areas for misappropriation of funds.

The decision also affected the 276 councillors for allegedly conniving with the chairmen to mismanage public funds put in their trust.

The speaker of the State Assembly, Aondona Dajoh gave the ruling after consideration of the report of the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the income and expenditures report forwarded to it by the governor.

According to the speaker, “The suspension has become necessary in order to pave the way for smooth and detailed investigation into the income and expenditures of the Council by the House.”

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The House equally resolved to extend the investigation to cover the whole tenure of the local government councils saying the three months report into the finances of the councils has revealed serious infringements on the financial memorandum of local government and other extant laws governing the management of funds at the third tier of government.

While presenting the report, the chairman of the committee, Mr Peter Ipusu, said his committee discovered huge financial misappropriation by the 23 local government councils in the state and among other things recommended the House to pass a resolution calling on the governor to suspend all the councils in order to give way for a detailed investigation into the income and expenditures of the councils.

The House directed the suspended chairmen to hand over the affairs of the councils and all government property in their possession, including official vehicles, to the director general of Services and Administration (DGSAs) with immediate effect and proceed on suspension pending the completion of investigation into their books of accounts and other related matters.