Alleged Embezzlement: Why Kwara Gov is yet to sack 16 LG chairmen – Saheed Popoola

By Adebayo Olodan

About five months after the suspension of 16 Local Government
Chairmen, facts have emerged on why the Kwara State Governor, Mallam
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is yet to sack the embattled council bosses in
the state.
Speaking during his weekly programme on Federal Radio Corporation of
Nigeria, FRCN (Harmony FM), Idofian, the lawmaker representing
Balogun/Ojomu constituency at the state House of Assembly, Hon Saheed
Popoola said, there are some constitutional challenges which has
continued to prevent the Governor from ordering the sack of the
affected council bosses.
He said; “After being found guilty of financial misappropriation by
the state House of Assembly and the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), the next thing that was expected is their sack.
However, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq cannot sack
the council bosses now due to what can be called constitution
bottleneck.”
While debunking reports that an undisclosed leader of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has held a meeting with the
16 suspended council chairmen and that talks were in advanced stage to
ensure their return to their respective council, Popoola said, “That
is hearsay and it is definitely untrue,” he added, maintaining that
the only reason the embattled council bosses were yet to be pronounced
sacked by the Governor was due to constitution problem.
The lawmaker however disclosed that the Governor may trigger any
loopholes in the constitution to terminate the tenure of the suspended
council chairmen before it will lapse in November, 2020.
It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) recently quizzed the affected council chairmen for several
hours.
Their suspension by Governor Abdulrazaq followed the recommendation by
the House of Assembly after a petition to that effect was addressed to
the lawmakers.
The joint House committee of Ethics, Privileges and Judiciary and
Local Government and Chieftaincy that investigated the matter
subsequently indicted them.
While the embattled chairman initially rejected the Governor’s
suspension citing an existing court order restraining the governor or
legislature from taking such action, 12 of them later initiated the
possibility of a political solution.
Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Irepodun and Ekiti previously backed out of
such move and maintained it will go ahead with the litigation to
challenge what they described as their illegal suspension by the
executive and legislature.
But the four council officials later joined their remaining colleague
after reportedly wrote an apology letter to the Kwara State House of
Assembly for not honouring its summon on the issue, a move that did
not stop their arrest and investigation by EFCC.