The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, IN Kogi State, has accused Governor Usman Ododo and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of plotting to circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling on Local Government Autonomy.
The state chapter of the party accused “Ododo of planning to install his loyalists as local government chairmen to maintain control over local government accounts.”
In a statement signed by Ibrahim Dansofo, the party claimed that “Ododo’s declaration that the Joint Allocation Account, JAC, is constitutional shows his ignorance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, which abolished JAC.”
The PDP also recalled the era of Yahaya Bello’s administration, where local government chairmen would withdraw funds and deliver them to the government house.
The party alleged that Ododo, as the then Auditor General of Local Government, was complicit in this practice.
PDP claimed it was not surprised at Ododo’s stance on Local Government autonomy, given his past records.
The party accused Ododo of already rigging the upcoming local government election to impose his loyalists and compromise local government authority.