₦airaland Forum

The 22 council chairmen in Rivers State have threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged plan by the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to order the diversion of the June 2015 federal allocation meant for local governments.

The council chairmen, who are all members of the All Progressives Congress, accused the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, of instructing the State Accountant General to divert the federal allocation meant for the councils for this month.

State Public Relations Officer of the All Local Government of Nigeria, Mr. Samuel Eyiba, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said the reason for the alleged directive from the governor remained unknown to them (council chairmen).

Eyiba warned that apart from the EFCC, council chairmen in the state had resolved to take the matter to other relevant bodies.

“We are also aware that the Rivers State Government under Barr. Nyesom Wike has given instruction, though not written, to the Accountant-General of the State to divert the FAAC allocation meant for the 23 local government councils for this month.

“The reason for this instruction is unknown to us. We have resolved to take this unpopular instruction to the appropriate quarters, should they go on with their plans, including petitioning the EFCC and related agencies,” Eyiba said.

He alleged that members of the State APC were attacked by their counterparts from the Peoples Democratic Party at the premises of the Federal High Court.

Eyiba also claimed that PDP thugs intimidated and harassed innocent bystanders while some local government chairmen were beaten and dispossessed of some of his belongings.

He said, “We have noted sadly that PDP and their thugs today at the Federal High Court premises, Port Harcourt, displayed high level of violence by intimidating, harassing, dispossessing innocent by-standers, including some local government chairmen.

“In spite of their violence, the APC supporters were not deterred. We therefore call on the security agencies to check the excesses of the PDP thugs led by Mr. Samuel Nwanosike.”

Reacting, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Sir Opunabo Inko-Tariah, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that he was not aware that the governor gave any directive to the accountant general, describing the council chairmen’s allegation as spurious.

abduljabbar4:
Rivers people will learn a bitter lesson if they actually supported him

seunmsg:
Wike better be careful as this current administration will not condone illegality.
Going forward, the National assembly should amend the constitution to give local government some measure of autonomy. The way local governments are at the mercy of state governors is not healthy. The constitution should be amended to prohibit state governors from tampering or touching local government allocation in any manner.

atlwireles:
Until una court case finish, nothing is going to happen. Sit in your offices and look through the windows, then count the number of passing okadas.

manutdrichie:
Status quo should be maintained until there is a court ruling that the election that brought them in was legally conducted.

For now no akpalapkala unless they decamp

manutdrichie:
If Buhari support that Rivers election
Then we are all wasting our time calling him "Mr. No corruption"

atlwireles:
Until una court case finish, nothing is going to happen. Sit in your offices and look through the windows, then count the number of passing okadas.

dunkem21:
This is extremely WIKEd

manutdrichie:
If Buhari support that Rivers election Then we are all wasting our time calling him "Mr. No corruption"

manutdrichie:
LGA election

manutdrichie:
LGA election