Plateau Assembly cannot recommend our sack

The Jos North Local Government Chairman Hon. Shehu Bala, has said the Plateau State House of Assembly does not have the powers to recommend the sack of any democratic elected Local Government Chairman in the State.

Bala said as much as the new Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, wants to install his own loyalists, he should not allow those around him to push him into doing the wrong thing.

The embattled Chairman stated this on Friday in Jos while addressing Journalists on the recommendation of the Assembly to the Governor to suspend the 17 LG Chairmen in the State on alleged financial misappropriation.

According to him: “The purported suspension was made only on Social Media. The Councilors who are supposed to watch over our activities were also taken unaware. The Governor is a Lawyer and so, we were taken aback to see him following the political train instead of the Law.

“We actually received a communiqué from ALGON on the 25th of May, 2023, requesting us to furnish the House with the details of our income and expenditure and we forwarded the same through the same channel. But, in less than 24 hours we saw on Social Media that we have been suspended from office.

“The House does not have a direct oversight function on Local Governments, but the Councilors. The Law is clear on that! It is therefore shocking that, because of personal pride and intention(s), the Councilors were suspended too.

“However, let’s ask ourselves one question. Can all the 17 Local Government Chairmen commit the same offense with the Councilors too? This must be politics taken too far! I expect the Governor to have drawn a line between politics and governance.

“I therefore call on citizens in the LG to remain calm as I am still in office to protect the mandate they gave to me”, he said.