Reps Demand Withholding Of Allocations To LGAs With Caretaker Committees

The House of Representatives has urged the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to withhold allocations from the Federation Account to local government areas being run without elected officials but caretaker committees.

The call followed the adoption of a motion of Urgent Public Importance sponsored by Hon. Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) and Jonathan Gaza Gbewfi (SDP, Nasarawa) at plenary on Tuesday.

Moving the motion, Kuye expressed concern that the dissolution of democratically elected council officials directly contravenes Section 7 of the Nigerian Constitution, the Supreme Court pronouncement on such matters and a deliberate affront on democracy.

“Worried is the increasing number of states acting with impunity and constitutional disregard as about 21 states governors are currently running councils with caretaker committees

“Dismayed that this impunity and constitution disregard is a deliberate effort to upstage democracy, shrink the development potential of local councils, enshrine lack of accountability and limit transparency in local

governments and the state as a whole,” he added.