Council Chairmen dissolution unconstitutional: No state governor has the right to dissolve local government councils – Gusau

UNCONSTITUTIONAL DISSOLUTION OF ZAMFARA LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL CHAIRMEN BY BELLO MATAWALLE. @Zamfara_state

To begin with, no governor has the constitutional power to dissolve any elected local government councils as the Supreme Court of Nigeria in a five man panel headed by Justice Olubolade Joe in a unanimous judgement delivered on December 11, 2019 strips state governors of the power to sack elected local government (LG) chairmen and councillors.

The appointment of caretaker chairmen by state governors has also been banned by the same court ruling. The Supreme Court ruled that henceforth ‘the act giving legislative powers to state Assembly members to undertake the process of sacking elected local government chairmen is null and void’. The panel of judges unanimously declared that only the legislative arm of a LG Council is empowered with the residual constitutional backing to sack council chairmen that maybe found blameworthy of any gross misconduct or violations of rules guiding public servants. Then, what zamfara governor Bello Matawalle is up to?

This alone has finally put an end to the abuse of power by Zamfara state assemblies and governor Bello Matawalle who arranged to the sacking of the Zamfara state elected LG chairmen at will.

These illegal proceeding that lead to the so-called dissolution of Zamfara state council Chairmen has not only defined and potrayed how ingnorant of the law Bello Matawalle is, but also forestall flagrant abuse of executive powers by governor Matawalle.

For one year now, local governments in Zamfara state have become the weeping child of governor Matawalle. Their mandate and even constitutional roles have been reduced to being mere ‘errand aides’ whose survival in office is at the mercy of the governor. At the slightest opportunity, governor Matawalle always intimidated them and even plan to dissolve the local government councils chairmen who came into office through an electoral process, not through the controversial Supreme Court judgement like him.

As elected representatives of their people, LG chairmen and councilors are expected to be accountable to the people whose votes brought them into office, and not a state governor. If governor Matawalle that was not even constitutionally elected into office cannot be removed by the President except by state legislators through legislative procedures in the state assembly, why then should other than the legislative arm of the LG decide when an elected LG chairman should leave office? Governor Matawalle should come back to his sense and stop misleading law and Zamfara state assembly members shouldn’t be a filling pot for cooking rubbish in zamfara state government.

Therefore, we ask Bello Matawalle to showcase and point out where and how did he get the power to dissolve or sack any constitutionally elected council chairman in zamfara.

On the other hand, Zamfara council chairmen were accused of breaching public trust, financial recklessness, and improper records of accounts of the councils running into billions naira. These is an irony of whom Bello Matawalle is. Because, for a governor who within the period of only one year into his administration embezzled and illegally stolen hundred of billion naira from the local government accounts via private loans secured should be the best person to tagged in financial recklessness, breaching of public trust and improper records of accounts of the local government councils.

Suprisingly, what relate Zamfara council Chairmen with the insecurity of the state that Matawalle and the so-called unguided zamfara Assembly members accused the council chairmen of ? When governor Matawalle is the Chief Security officer of the state and is in better position to provide the security in zamfara and for the people of Zamfara. Infact, where are the hundred millions naira meant for security votes that Matawalle always corners to his person ambition ? Is the local government council chairmen collecting the money or the governor ?

It’s actually normal for an unqualified and illetrally ignorant governor to think up accusing the council chairmen on the security of his state. These are some of the consequences of enthroning an amateur into the public offices when people voted against him.

Finally, What the State Assembly members recommended for governor Bello Matawalle on the dissolution of Zamfara council chairmen is completely unlawful, unjust, taboo and uncalled for and ahold be reverse as soon as possible.

Concerned Citizens of Zamfara.

Al’mansoor Gusau.
Advocate.

DIRECTOR NEW MEDIA OFFICE OF THE FORMER GOVERNOR ZAMFARA STATE, H.E (DR.)A.A.YARI.

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