Okene LG Crisis: Councillors Go Inside Into Hiding for Fear of Being Attacked

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Nine of the 10 councillors that impeached the council leader of Okene local government council leader, Kabiru Momoh Habib  last week have alleged threat to their lives pointing accusing finger on the executive for allegedly masterminding thugs to attack them.

The affected councillors while addressing news men in Lokoja said they could no longer sleep in their local government and had to hibernate in Lokoja and adjoining towns for fear of being attacked by thugs who they alleged are with dangerous weapons.

The majority leader of the council, Abdul Ganiyu Mohammed who showed his broken arms to newsmen said he was beaten black and blue along with some of the councillors last week when some group of thugs suspected to be  sent by the council chairman, Saliu Ogembe suddenly invaded the chambers of the council shortly after the impeachment saga

The majority leader said Habib was impeached for single handedly approving the sum of #10 million to the executive and for embarking on acts detrimental to the development of the area, among other allegations

While showing newsmen copies of the proceedings where the council leader was removed, he said due process was followed in the impeachment process of Habib and the subsequent election of Ahmed Tijani Zubair , councillor representing Orietesu ward as the new legislative leader

The majority leader then wonders while the impeached leader was now parading himself as the leader of the council saying Ahmed Tijani Zubair is now the new council leader

While reading the text of the press briefing entitled “Kabiru Momoh Habib is an Impostor- our new legislative leader is Ahmed Tijani Zubair”

One of the councillors, Ismaila Abubakar representing Obehirauvete ward referred to a publication in a National Daily where the impeached leader still paraded himself as the council leader

He narrated how thugs suddenly jumped into the hallow chamber of the council when the seargeant -at arms, one Akoni Ibrahim allegedly sneaked out of the meeting and went straight to the chairman,s office to brief him of their plans

The councillor  alleged that the thugs numbering 22 came with guns and dangerous weapons and broke into the council chamber, shooting sporadically and beating anyone in sight

He also alleged that the windows and doors of the chamber were destroyed while property belonging to the councillors including money, mobile phones and other valuables were carted away by the hoodlums

Also speaking the newly elected leader, Tijani Zubair accused the council chairman of running the council as his private  enterprise saying the councillors’ welfare were thrown to the dogs while there is still  backlog of arrears of salaries owed the council workers, which the chairman refused to pay

According to him, the council chairman after several entreaties refused to give the councillors   furniture and car loans even though these demands are backed up  by law , but rather prefer to cruise  round the streets  with posh cars while the councillors are suffering in silence as they are being paid half salaries

The new leader then called on the state governor and all well meaning people in the state to intervene in the imbroglio as it is capable of degenerating to a more frightening dimension

A phone call to the council chairman to hear his own side of the story, he refused to pick his calls neither did he respond to a text message sent to him


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