Suspended Councillors of Ughelli North Local Government Area, have described their suspension as Illegal and a coup orchestrated by the Executive Chairman of the Council, Olorogun Jaro Egbo, to stop them from performing their oversight functions as Lawmakers.
The councilors who were reacting to the news of their suspension alleged that the chairman sponsored the purported legislative action by inducing members with cash rewards of N200,000 each.
The councilors disclosed that the council chairman is being intimidated by vibrancy on the floor of the house and has remained uncomfortable whenever we asked sensitive questions as it affects the revenues of the council.
Two of the suspended councillors, Hon. Festus Oke Inana and Hon. Collins Oghenebrorhie Arhiakpore, made this allegations while reacting to their suspension in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Speaking to journalists on incident, they said, “The chairman deliberately targeted us by manipulating the Leader of the House and some of our colleagues to sign the purported suspension in other to silence us from asking relevant questions.
Festus Inana said, “In the real sense, what they did was a ‘kangaroo suspension’ and a breach of the local government bylaws because it did not follow the due process.
“There ought to be investigation before suspension but in this case they are suspending without investigation.
“The suspension is null and void because the allegations with which they are claiming to suspend us is frivolous.
“We were about to have our one year anniversary celebration that is to be celebrated by the Executive Chairman on the side of the executive while we as legislators still have our own.
“In the programme of the Executive, we find out that there is a Legislative briefing slated for Thursday, July 31, and we have an agreement, that in the cause of the celebration, the legislators are going to be part of.
“So while we were waiting for funds to be released, we sort the consent of the Leader of the House to source for funds from the public, especially banks that patronize the council which he assented to.
“We invited the Officer in Charge (OC) of revenue to furnish the House with the sub revenue committee chairmen to equally solicit for financial assistance.
“But the OC revenue refused our request and went ahead to report a different thing to the council chairman who in turn invited us, and without listening started roaring and shouting on top of his voice and without giving us a listening ear, he worked some of us out of his office.
“If he had listened to us he would have known that our mission of calling the OC revenue was not to probe the council’s revenue, even when we equally have the right to do as enshrined in the local government Bylaws.
“Our mission was to solicit for funds from the revenue sub committee members, and that led to the little fuse between myself, the Leader and the council chairman.
“The essence of suspension the next day was not something that we envisaged because of that conversation with the chairman.
“I did not see it as a suspension, I only saw it as a coup by the executive to silence the legislature and keep our voice in his pocket.
“It is a coup between the purported 10 persons who signed the attendance list and the legislative staff. but you cannot suspend people by using the attendance list of a sitting, make a photocopy of it and attach to a letter of suspension.
“It is a coup between the chairman and the legislative staff because of our vibrancy and he needs send fear into us so that we would not be able to speak in future.”
Speaking in the same vein, Hon Collins Arhiakpore, said “In the letter that was given to me, the reason for my suspension was not well spelt out ‘gross misconduct and abuse of office.
“It was later that I was hearing that the leadership of the house, had tried to source for funds for us to have a very glorious anniversary celebration
“It was on that ground that the Leader, the Majority Leader and the Chief Whip brainstormed and decided that they were going to source for funds outside.
“I Collins, I was not aware of this until when the fracas happened and the chairman asked ‘who give you right to ask for the revenue.
“I don’t know why I was being or they want the 8th Assembly to be teleguided or subdued, and if three of us are dealt with, our agitations, and questions, will be stopped.
“On that very day of July 31, we got a message of notification from the Principal Secretary that the chairman will brief us, the letter was dropped on our Whatsapp group.
“That same morning after about few hours, the Leader of the House dropped another message that the briefing has been cancelled because the chairman has activities in Asaba, after about two hours, he now placed on the loop that there will be an emergency plenary on that same July 31, by 10:am.
“But some of us suspected with the way the message were communicated that something was going on and i personally chatted the Clerk of the House to know was what is happening, he said nothing that I should call the leader.
“I called the Leader to what is going on but I thought he intentionally decides not to take my calls.
“At about 8:am, I got a call from one of my colleagues that a meeting is currently taking place against the 10: am, that was scheduled, and that they have been instructed to suspend three of us.”
When contacted, the Executive Chairman of the local government area, Barr. Jaro Egbo denied any involvement in the suspension of the Councilors, that he does not interfere with the affairs of the house.
Egbo said, “How does it concern me, I am not the Leader of the house, you should call the leader of the house. And I did not induce anybody, we have worked very friendly for the past one year, and if they have issues in their House, they should go and settle it.
“I don’t interfere with their activities and I did not induce anybody. When they were doing their thing I was in a meeting in Asaba.”
