Francis Sardauna in Katsina
In compliance with the decision of the Supreme Court, the Katsina State Government yesterday disclosed that it would clear the entitlements of the 34 local government chairmen and 361 councillors that were sacked in compliance with the court decision.
The state government, also, disclosed that it had commenced the process of conducting council election in the state, noting that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) is under rehabilitation and will soon be completed.
The state governor, Mallam Aminu Masari made this disclosure at a session with journalists yesterday, saying the state had concluded plans for the conduct of the local government poll.
The apex court, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, on May 7 directed that the dissolved council officials be paid all their entitlements from the date of their illegal dissolution to the date they were to vacate office.
It also ruled that the sacking of the elected local government chairmen and the councillors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and their replacement by caretaker committees by Masari was unlawful, unconstitutional and illegal.
At a session with journalists yesterday, Masari explained that the state government under his watch was 70 per cent ready for the conduct of the local government election in all the 34 local councils in the state.
He said: “We are 70% ready for the conduct of the local government election in all the 34 local councils in the state. We had also rehabilitated the State Independent Electoral Commission and purchased new vehicles for them to ease their work in the state.
“We also bought all the needed electoral equipment for the conduct of the elections. What is left for us now is to fix a date for the election because it is after we fix the date that we can print bailout papers”.
THISDAY reports that Masari, had on July 10, 2015, dissolved the duly elected 34 Local Government Councils of the state 15 months before the expiration of their tenure on the allegation of misappropriation of local governments funds.
The affected council officials and PDP sued Masari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge their dissolution.
The controversy over the rightful leadership of the 34 local government councils and 361 wards moved from one court to another and finally to the Supreme Court in Abuja.
