From Linus Oota, Lafia
Nasarawa State House of Assembly has perfected plans to reject confirmation of further nominees as caretaker chairmen for the 13 local government areas by the state governor, Umaru Tanko Al-makura, Sunday Sun has reliably learnt.
The assembly is considering placing an embargo on approval of further appointments of caretaker chairmen by the governor, insisting that the state government must conduct elections to install democratically elected chairmen and councilors at the third tier of government in line with the provision of the constitution of the country.
An impeccable source in the assembly told Sunday Sun that the House was ready for a showdown with the governor until he agreed to conduct local government elections immediately, which according to him, had become a source of concern to the people of the state.
It was gathered that there were plans by the state governor to either seek the extension of the current caretaker chairmen or dissolve them and reconstitute another one subject to the approval of the state assembly.
The House had earlier in the week urged the governor to sack the 13 local government caretaker committee chairmen whose one year tenure would end on July 24, 2017 and immediately conduct local government elections in order to bring government closer to the people.
Sunday Sun learnt from a source that the House had resolved at its executive session not to extend the tenure of the caretaker committees or receive fresh nominees from the governor other than a proposal for the conduct of the local government election in the state.
“The current caretaker chairmen have spent one year in office and we have directed that the governor should dissolve them immediately and conduct elections following the expiration of their tenure, this order must be respected.” There was also a court judgment in January this year in Keffi which sacked the caretaker chairmen and ordered the governor to conduct elections within 140 days, this order was ignored. We are going to stand by our own order, there must be council elections this time around,” he said
The last elected councils in the state left office on March 24, 2016 and an attempt by the governor to appoint sole administrators to oversee the affairs of the council generated heat in the assembly leading to the suspension of six members, who opposed the action.
Efforts to get the House Committee chairman on Information, Hon James Dangana, to speak on the planned showdown with the governor failed.
