Nasarawa State Hosue of Assembly has suspended the Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Council, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Ottos, over alleged insubordination.
The house has also suspended the deputy chairman, Karu Local Government Council, Lawal Yakubu Karshi, for the same reason.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Jibrin Gwomna, said the suspension was announced by the speaker, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, after the chairman, House Committee on Local Government, Barrister Mohammed Alkali, moved a motion on insubordination by the affected council officials during the house emergency sitting in Lafia on Monday.
He said that the chairman of Nasarawa LGC and deputy chairman of Karu LGC abandoned their official duties to attend the court case of the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, was a disservice and an act of insubordination and as a result of which they were suspended indefinitely.
“The chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Council is hereby suspended indefinitely pending the investigation on his act of insubordination,” he said.
He directed the deputy chairman of the local government to take over the affairs of the council on acting capacity with immediate effect.
According to him, the deputy chairman of Karu LGC should also proceed on suspension.
Balarabe said the commissioner of police had been directed to provide adequate security cover for the acting chairman of Nasarawa LGC as the investigation lasted.
He said the speaker had also set up a seven-man committee to investigate the two affected local government officials. It is given three months to submit its report.
Reacting, the chairman of Nasarawa local government, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Otto’s, who spoke with our reporter via telephone, said “If going to court is an act of insubordination that will lead to my suspension, so be it. I accept the decision.”
He added that “The decision of the state assembly was not something that “I can’t challenge for now.”
Also reacting over his suspension, the vice chairman of Karu local government, Alhaji Lawal Yakubu Karahi, noted that since the local government was supervised by the state assembly, he had accepted his suspension in good faith.
He said as a law-abiding citizen, he had to accept and abide by the decision of the state assembly.
“Our power is in their hands, hence, we will approach the committee to hear our own side of the story,” he stated.
