EDO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS AND ILLEGALITY OF ASSETS VERIFICATION COMMITTEE

Governor Okpebholo of Edo State has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the 18 local government council chairmen in Edo State to submit their statements of accounts. The governor asked the chairmen to submit the documents to the assets verification committee through the office of the Secretary to State Government. Giving an illegal ultimatum to legally elected local government chairmen to submit local government documents to an illegal committee which is strange to law and not known to the constitution. I want to educate Mr Governor that it is only legally constituted bodies recognized by law like EFCC that can get access to local government documents and not members of a political party in the name of Assets Verification Committee. It is illegal for Assets Verification Committee to be in possession of Edo Local Governments statement of accounts. This is illegality in the highest order. Submitting local governments statement of accounts to illegal committee that is strange to law is ignorance in the highest order. What is the link between local governments and Edo State Assets Verification Committee?

I want to educate Governor Monday Okpebholo that  under Section 7(1) of the Constitution, Local Governments are recognized as the third tier of Government and the leadership of Local Governments must be independent and democratically elected. Nigeria Constitution and Edo State Constitution do not recognize Edo State Assets Verification Committee under Governor Monday Okpebholo talk less of submitting the 18 local government accounts to an unconstitutional body. Let Governor Monday Okpebholo contact EFCC if there is fraud at the local governments and use members of assets verification committee to carry out APC political activities. I want to advise Governor Okpebholo to direct the Executive Chairman, Edo State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), if there is any, to immediatly investigate there are allegations and report the outcome for further necessary action by EFCC.

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has given the 18 local government council chairmen in the state, 48 hours ultimatum  to submit their statements of account

The Governor who asked the LG Chairmen to submit the statements to the Assets Verification Committee who are members of Edo State APC, through the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said the statement of accounts should be effective from 4th of September 2023 till date. Edo State Assets Verification Committee is strange to law and it is not recognize by Nigeria constitution and Edo State Constitution.The constitution is clear when you come to local governments accounts verification. Nigeria Constitution does not mandate local governments chairmen to hand over statement of accounts of local governments to a committee constituted by a governor. Any governor can send a petition to EFCC to investigate local governments chairmen if they misappropriate local governments funds.

The Supreme Court’s 2024 landmark judgment included a decision that overturned the longstanding practice where state governments received federal allocations on behalf of local government areas and withheld the funds. In a landmark decision delivered by the Supreme Court of Nigeria (the “Court”) on July 11, 2024, in the case of Attorney General of the Federation v. Attorney General of Abia State & 35 Ors (the “Decision”), the Court reinforced the autonomy of Local Governments in Nigeria, affirming their status as a distinct third tier of government. This significant judgment addressed crucial constitutional issues surrounding the financial independence of Local Governments.

I want to appeal to Governor Okpebholo to go and read Supreme Court’s 2024 landmark judgment on autonomy of local governments and relevant sections of Nigeria Constitution which recognizes local government as the third tier of Government and the leadership of Local Governments must be independent and democratically elected.

On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment affirming the financial autonomy of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Councils.

The seven-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, unanimously upheld a suit brought by the federal government aimed at reinforcing the independence of local governments across the country.

The court also rejected the stance of state governments that sought to dissolve democratically elected local government councils.

Governor Okpebholo should be focused and ensure that critical stakeholders in this Edo State are held accountable, and working to reduce corruption . Mr Governor should engage stakeholders to discuss collaborative efforts.

Local governments must be politically independent, and any state-level official who violates this Supreme Court decision will be held accountable for gross misconduct and abuse of office. Nigerians are prepared to take action against anyone who goes against the Supreme Court’s decision on local government autonomy and Edo State Assets Verification Committee is not known to Supreme Court and it is an illegal body that has no business with local government statement of accounts.

Inwalomhe Donald writes via inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com