The Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, Samuel Wanosike, has said the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, does not have the authority to pay council workers in Ikwerre LGA without first consulting him in his capacity as chairman of the local government.
He brought attention to the governor’s violation of constitutional principles and voiced his concern about such infractions, stressing the need to follow legal norms and standards. He insisted that the governor will face consequences for his actions, which go against the Nigerian Constitution’s tenets of good governance and decentralisation of power, Alleging that because the local government chairmen in Rivers State have been unfairly targeted by his move.
He said in an interview with TVC, ”What we are questioning as Rivers people here is clear. Look, you are the governor of the state. You swore to an oath to protect the Constitution of Nigeria and to do to all men all manner of good irrespective of their tribe, ethnicity, or who they are. You cannot govern Rivers State outside the constitution of Nigeria. “The governor has no right to bypass me as Ikwerre LG Chairman and pay council workers.
He is telling his accountant general to issue an instruction to Banks to disregard my office as the Chairman of Ikwerre Local government and go ahead and pay council workers. When you breach such a constitution, we must call it out and say this is not what the law expects you to do.”
“I’m happy that the legal minds and the Nigeria Bar Association are listening to the matter. The governor we elected has breached the constitution of Nigeria and has gone ahead to pay Council workers or Ikwerre Local government without the approval of the Local government council Chairman.’”