By Kingston Obung
Calabar
In what appears a feeling of being betrayed by Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River state, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has threatened to drag the governor to court if he “commences a camouflage campaign for council elections without official announcement of a proper time table.”
While berating the government for allegedly dissolving local government councils without due process, the APC said the dissolution was a ‘gross violation of the Nigerian constitution.”
Beyond this, however, it is believed that the ‘silent romance’ between the governor and the party in the state, which went awry, may have also accounted for the legal threat. The governor’s body language towards the opposition party in the state, while awaiting the ruling of the Supreme Court on his election victory, was seen by many as a move to team up with APC.
Announcing his party’s threat in a statement yesterday in Calabar, APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr. Mens Ikpeme, he accused the governor of dissolving “the local government councils without looking at the rule books.”
The release read in part: “There is no Nigerian law that supports the dissolution of local government councils, there is no Nigeria law that extends the tenure of local government councils, nor is there a law to amend the existing one, that the Caretaker Committee be appointed for local government council in Nigeria. The Nigeria Constitution Section 7 (first schedule) is very clear on the local government council’s operations.
“Ayade will sit in the State Executive Meeting and come up with dissolution that they have sacked an elected council executive to appoint caretaker committee. This is a gross violation of the Nigerian constitution.
“All Progressives Congress shall seek redress in a court of law should Governor Ben Ayade commence a camouflage campaign for council elections without official announcement of a proper time table.
“APC shall ensure that funds for local government councils be suspended until proper elective officers are placed in position in their respective offices in the local government councils.”
