By: Isa Saidu, Dutse.
Ahead of jigawa Council polls slated for early next year, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairmen may be gearing up for a show down with the state government over what has been described as illegal deductions and remittance of 27 local government councils fund into a private company to bankroll the forthcoming council’s polls.
Platform Reporters gathered that an impeaceble sources quoted the Kazaure local government People Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Honourable Mustapha Ibrahim Danshatu as saying, “It has come to our knowledge that the present administration of Governor Umar Namadi is illegally deducting some certain amount of money from our monthly federal allocations into a private account of unknown organization aimed to finance the campaigns of the forthcoming local government council elections slated for early next year without our consent”, situation which he says must not allow to go unchecked.
The PDP chairman explained that “we are reliably informed that the state government is forcing all the 27 Council’s Chairmen’s to remit a fixed amount of money depending on the local council’s grant into a private organization bank account”.
Danshatu who described such a deductions as illegal, and unconstitutional remittance, adding that “During our findings we gathered that the funds is deposited with a private organization known as Ushafam Investment Limited banking with TAJ bank with account number 0057455884”.
He called on the prompt attention of the Chairman of Economic, and Financial Crime Commission, ( EFCC) Mr. Ola Olukoyede to as a matter of urgency to swing into actions towards investigating this serious misappropriation, and embezzlement of public funds of JIgawa state local government council’s finances.
When contacted the chairman Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in JIgawa state, Honourable Bala Usman Chamo dismissed the allegations, said “It is all blatant lies, baseless without an iota of truth”
Honourable Bala Usman Chamo maintained that “this is not true, in facts it is not true. As far as I’m concerned, nothing like this has ever happened. We the local government council chairmen in the state we are not contributing any money for local government election campaign”.
According to him “of course there will be local government councils’ election in 2024. For sure we are an authority with people responsibilities. And we are doing our best to meet their needs, and aspirations in accordance with principle and constitutional provisions”.
He said “I don’t know of any account of contributing money for the financing of local councils’ election campaign in this state, infact any where in the country”.
The ALGON chairman who was also the Dutse municipal council Chairman maintained that “We in JIgawa state local council are receiving the allocation from the federal revenue collection in full”.
“Local Government are contributing money as indicated in the constitution as statutory deduction’s, as contributing money to finance joint projects, that’s all I know”.
“We don’t at any time contribute or do not in any way agreed to finance our campaign or any political party on any account”.
Also contacted, the Special Advisor to the governor on local government affairs, Honourable Abdurrahman Alkasim denied any knowledge of the allegations.
The special adviser added that “though the right person to comment on this is the commissoner. Because he is the accounting officer of ministry for local government”.
“I’m just a special adviser. Something to this nature may not come to me. You better meet the commissoner, he is in the better position to talk to you people”.
All efforts to speak to the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Honourable Ahmed Maikudi Hadejia proved abortive.
When his office was visited by our reporter, he was informed that the commissioner was out of the state on official engagements.
