Plateau LG Chairs may get tenure extension Thursday

By Kingsley  Chukwuka, Jos

There are indications that the much sought after tenure extension for Plateau State council chairmen would be achieved once the State House of Assembly reconvene on Thursday.

The Management Committee chairmen may be given another two months extension by the lawmakers.

It would be recalled that the House of Assembly had proceeded on a four-week break without extending the tenure of the Council Chairmen which expires tomorrow.

It was gathered that the House could not discuss the tenure elongation of the Council Chairmen before embarking on recess because they did not get a nod from Governor Simon Lalong who was in China at the time.

A member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, who did not want his name on print, told our correspondent that the extension in office, of the Management Committee Chairmen depended largely on the position of Governor Lalong.

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Recall that Governor Lalong on assumption of office despite assurances given to the then elected Local Government Chairmen, had gone ahead to dissolve them and appointed Management Committee Chairmen for the Local Governments in the state, for a 6 months tenure.

Since then the state House of Assembly has subsequently been extending their tenure by 2 months

Responding, the embattled Local Government Chairman of Bassa LGA in Plateau State, Hon. David Racha, said the action of the APC led government in Plateau on the subject matter, is a continuation of the prostitution of illegality.

According to him, “the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not envisage of Management Committee Chairman or whatever name they are called. The constitution only recommended for elected LG Chairmen as enshrined in part 2 of section 7 and anything short of that is illegality”, Racha said.

The LG boss who further stated that anything outside the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is corruption, said that Lagos state government was given an ultimatum in December 2015 by the court, to within 30 days, conduct an LG election that will produce elected Council Chairmen.