Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara has sworn-in 14 local government council Sole Administrators, less than 24 hours after the state House of Assembly dissolved their offices as council chairmen with the governor’s approval.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor has had a running faceoff with the council chairmen who were elected for a three-year tenure under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Matawalle inaugurated the sole administrators at a quiet event in the Government House on Friday in Gusau.
The governor said their performances would be measured and assessed in the next three months to determine whether they deserved to continue or be replaced.
He said the dissolution of the former council chairmen by the state legislature was a result of unsatisfactory performance and negligence of primary responsibility of ensuring the security and safety of the people by some of them.
“We received reports that some of them were handling the issue of security of lives and property of the people under their domains half-heartedly due to parochial political sentiments,” he said.
NAN however reports that while dissolving the 14 councils at the state assembly, the spokesman of the house, Malam Mustapha Jafaru, alleged in a statement in Gusau that the chairmen of the councils were found wanting in misappropriating relief funds meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their respective areas.
But in a quick reaction to the development, the APC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Lawal Liman, condemned the state government’s action.
Liman noted that even the last local government election that brought in the chairmen was being contested in the court.
“This matter now, is a complete violation of our laws and constitutional provisions, we are going to review the issues as well as seek legal advice then take a stand,” he said. (NAN)
