The Chairman of Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, Yohana Yakubu has been sacked by his councillors over alleged gross incompetence, abuse of office, lack of accountability, and truancy, among others.
He was sacked by eight out of the eleven councillors who gathered at the Council legislative chamber at Paiko, the headquarters of Paikoro local government area on Tuesday and took the decision.
After signing the impeachment letter of the Chairman, the Council legislatures immediately directed the Vice Chairman to take over the affairs of the council.
In September 2021, the embattled chairman was suspended from office by the legislature, allegedly for his inability to account for millions of naira accruing to the council as internally generated revenue.
Other offences include his deliberate refusal to make public, the income and expenditure of the council, since inception to date, among other allegations
However, following intervention by stakeholders and political leaders in the state, the suspension was lifted leading to the constitution of a revenue task force to ensure proper collection of revenue and accountability.
The responsibility of the task force is now said to have been hijacked by the Chairman.
It was gathered that crisis started again for the embattled chairman when he failed to appear in office for about six months leading to his impeachment by the council legislatures.
When contacted, the leader of the legislative council, Mrs Liyatu Yohana stated that the Chairman in the last two and half years has mismanaged the resources meant for the council including an outright diversion of relief materials to the people of the local government during the COVID-19.
She said,” all efforts to make the Chairman respond to the mirage of allegations and complaints from both the public and staff of the council could not yield any results. He is nowhere to be found for the past six months he has not stepped into the office. He administers the Council from a hideout. Only the accountant and the treasurer know his hideout”.
Mrs Yonana alleged that several letters were served to the chairman to resolve some of the allegations but he refused to honour the invitations.
She said, ”when we served him impeachment notice, he could not reply so we were left with no option but to impeach him”.
When contacted, the embattled Chairman, Mr. Yonana Yakubu agreed that there was a crisis between him and the legislatures in the council.
He, however, refused to admit if he has been impeached from office, further efforts to get his reaction on the alleged impeachment by the legislatures failed as he was not responding to calls.
The three years tenure of the Chairman was expected to end in December 2022 after a court granted Council Chairmen in the state a one-year extension in office.
