…Councillors At War Over N85m Wards’
Projects…House Leader Impeached
…Chairman Kicks Out Supervisors, Advisers
Fear now grips the chairman of the Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, Alhaji Daddy Ibigoni Pokima following his invitation by the legislative organ to appear before it to give his income and expenditure since he resumes office two and the half years ago.
The council chairman as we are reliably gathered is jittery over the invitation. Sources hinted this weekly that the council boss immediately summoned the councilors to his office and pleaded with them to jettison the idea of inviting him to appear before the local legislative chamber.
According to the sources the local parliamentarians gave him conditions before they will sheathe the idea of the invitation for him to appear before the House. One of the conditions, placed before him was that the councilors demanded for N5m each to execute constituency projects in their respective wards.
According to information reacting our political desk, the council chairman is starving his councillors funds to execute or implement projects in their wards.
The councilors frowned at the attitude of the council chairman, saying that a total sum of N530m was approved by the Legislative Assembly to construct a stadium at the Degema Consulate.
“You will not believe that after the approval nothing was given to us except N15,000 for all of us to go and drink. What kind of council chairman is this? He is running the council as his personal estate”, a councilor who pleaded for anonymity told our reporter.
According to him what they demanded was only N85m that is N5m for each of the 17 councillors to go to their various wards and do something for the people.
“It is very bad that the people after giving us their mandate, we are unable to provide the dividends of democracy” the councilor lamented.
He, however, revealed to our correspondent that the council chairman on monthly basis deduct a sum of N200,000 from their salary as car loan.
“After all how much is our salary? If you deduct N200,000 from our basic salary, it means that we will go home with nothing. This is an act of wickedness”, the councilor asserted.
The councilor further disclosed that shortly after the meeting with the council chairman, he (Alhaji Pokima) connived with twelve (12) out of the seventeen (17) councilors and allegedly gave them N100,000 each to impeach the House leader, Hon. Abioton Iboroma.
“The impeachment did not follow a due process because money was offered to some of these councilors who did it unconsciously”, the councilor said.
When the council chairman was contacted he exonerated himself from the change of leadership in the DELGA Legislative Council.
“I have never bribed any councilor to impeach any House officer”, Alhaji Pokima said.
The council chairman said that he is ever ready to appear before the Legislative Assembly to render the income and the expenditure.
Alhaji Pokima declared that his administration believes in community development, therefore has awarded projects to all the seventeen (17) wards of the LGA.
“You can confirm this, about eleven (11) who have done their wards projects I have already disbursed their funds to them. There is no way I can pay any councilor who has not done his ward project”, Alhaji Pokima said.
He maintained that his priority is to ensure speedy development in every nooks and crannies of the LGA.
“How can I bribe a councilor who has done his statutory functions of approving a supplementary budget? I cannot give money to any councilor who has done his official duties” the council chairman noted.
The chairman assured the people of the area that he would continue to embark on projects that would have positive impact on the lives of the rural dwellers.
Meanwhile all political appointments in the area have been dissolved. The council chairman, Alhaji Pokima announced this on Monday. He advised all the affected political appointees to hand over all council properties in their possessions to the Head of the Local Government Administration.
The council boss thanked them for their selfless service and wished them well in their future political endeavour. ###
