Edo State Governor adams Oshiomhole yesterday said there was no vacuum in the administration of local government councils.
He said he was yet to receive the resolution of the Assembly sacking the transition committees in councils.
Speaking in his office during a meeting with the caretaker committees, Oshiomhole said people erroneously believed there was a lot of money in the local gopvernments.
He said after paying teachers’ salary, the councils barely had enough to pay their workers and execute projects.
The governor said: “You assumed office at a very challenging time. Many of you inherited huge debts from your predecessors, including debts owed to the Federal Government, such as VAT that was not remitted.
“I am also aware that in many cases, it was your lot to settle loans taken by your predecessors for all sorts of things, including projects that were not found on ground. You had to sort this and other issues and find resources to address the basic needs of the people.
“The House of Assembly has passed a resolution requesting the dissolution of caretaker committees. Their argument is that the councils ought to be governed by elected people.
“That is the law, but we must remind ourselves that you assumed office not on the strength of your application, but because we had a situation in which it was impossible to conduct local government election.
“At the expiration of your predecessors’ tenure, the new voter’s register had not been prepared and we could not allow a vacuum in the management of the councils.
“It became inevitable that we appoint caretaker committees to provide leadership for the local governments and that led to your appointments.”
Explaining why council elections had not been conducted, Oshiomhole said: “Few weeks to the national election, the voter’s register was ready and the whole nation was preparing for the National Assembly, Presidential and House of Assembly elections. It was only natural that those elections were given priority. As soon as they were over, the governorship election was due.
“Those elections have come and gone and the conditions are now ripe for the conduct of local government election.
“There are still legal issues. We had a State Independent Electoral Commission that was manned by card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the day it was inaugurated, the chairman shouted PDP to celebrate his appointment.
“There is no way a responsible government will allow an election umpire of card-carrying members of a political party to conduct an election. It was, therefore, natural that we had to dissolve that commission.
“I understand there are judicial pronouncements in respect of the dissolution and we are dealing with those issues and, hopefully, we would find legal solutions, such that we would be able to conduct council election in the nearest future.
“This must be done according to law and the government must be seen to respect the judgment of the court, even when we do not agree with the logic that informs such judgment. As a government founded on the basis of rule of law, we must obey all court orders, including the ones we do not agree it.
“While we are sorting out those legal issues, there can be no vacuum in the leadership of the local government. I appreciate the concern of the Assembly, which informed the passing of the resolution, and will look at the content of the resolution when I receive it.
“It has not been delivered to me. When I receive it, I will go through it and consult on the way forward. This would not take eternity. It would be quick, so that there is no confusion about the leadership of our councils.”
