LAGOS OCTOBER 14TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Members of Isoko North local government area legislative house, Delta State, has petitioned the state Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, over allegations and reports that the house have removed its Majority Leader, Hon. Alex Okaithe and his Deputy over ‘unfounded’ allegations.
In the letter, collectively written to the governor, made available to Urhobotoday an online medium, the council lawmakers urged Okowa to prevail on the executive of the local Council Chairman and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in the council, to stop usurping the powers of the legislative assembly.
They noted that although its members had been under enormous external pressure to sack the majority leader and his deputy, they had not found them in breach of any known law.
According to the lawmakers, their embattled colleagues were only being witch-hunted because of their insistence on due process in the running of the council affairs.
‘’It is only the ardent pleadings on all councilors’ behalf by our Majority Leader, Hon. Alex Okaithe and his Deputy for adherence to your examples of prudence in resource management that these two principal officers have incurred the wrath of those who now relentlessly witch-hunt, tar their reputation and victimize them’’, the petitioners said.
They added that they had also become targets for victimization because as lawmakers they refused to honour a letter from the executive arm, calling for the sack of the two principal officers.
According to the legislative house, the letter accusing the embattled officers of “hostile character,” “disrespect to constituted authority’’ and high-handedness” was eventually trashed.
‘’ The outrage and uproar which ensued instantly killed the letter and it was struck out from the house’s order of proceedings of that day without further debate.
‘’ It was therefore shocking to read in the mainstream media beginning from October 2, 2015, of the purported but false removal of our most diligent and dutiful house leaders’’, the council lawmakers wrote.
Describing the external pressure as a travesty, they noted that it would be an ‘error’ for the LGA party officials to persecute the Majority Leader and Deputy for what the majority of councilors consented and mandated them to do.
They, therefore, urged the governor to reject, condemn and sanction the executive of the local government council for wanting to impose itself on the legislative house.
‘’Your timely and decisive pronouncement of a just and lawful position on this matter will save our council the enormous time, funds and sundry costs of long-drawn legal actions to redress the gross abuses of our powers.
‘’ It will (also) help us to remain undistracted in our continued support of Your Excellency during the present trying times of our great party and your administration in the years ahead’’, the council lawmakers said.