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Benue State Governor Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia has described as blatant lies allegations emanating from a section of the media that he has sacked Local Government Council Chairmen in the state.
Recall that council chairmen who were elected under the platform of the PDP accused the governor of sacking them
But Alia while reacting in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Sir Tersoo Kula at the weekend in Makurdi, explained that the governor only upheld the recommendation by directing the Council Chairmen to handover government property in their possession and offices to the various DGSAs of their council’s.
He expressed disappointment with the action of the Council Chairmen by resulting to blackmail and lies, insisting that they were only suspended from office and not sacked as was being speculated, arguing that the move was to pave way for a seamless investigation.
The governor maintained that he merely acted on the correspondence from the State House of Assembly which recommended suspension of the said Council Chairmen, stressing that further actions could only be taken when investigations into the corruption allegations levelled against them would be completed.
Governor Alia who equally denied knowledge of any court judgement describing such a development as mere speculations, pointed out that as a law abiding citizen, he would never do anything to breach a court order, arguing that even if there was any court order compelling government not to sack the Chairmen, there is no order barring government from investigating the Chairmen.
The governor who wondered whether the council Chairmen have been misled into assuming that they are entitled to political immunity as elected council chairmen, advised them to feel free if they have no skeletons in their cupboards by allowing those carrying out investigation to complete their assignment rather than jumping here and there, advising that if they must come to equity they should be prepared to do so with clean hands.
The cleric governor who insisted that the Council Chairmen remained suspended from office pending the outcome of investigation, urged them to be patient as they would be availed the opportunity to defend themselves before the House of Assembly ad-hoc committee, assuring that those who would not be found guilty would be reinstated.
The council chairmen who were elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, by the immediate past government last Saturday, during a press conference in Makurdi, accused the Father Alia APC led government in the state of flouting a court judgement by going ahead to sack them from a two year term in office.