The Kaduna state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Tuesday, described allegations by former Governor Nasir El Rufai that Governor Uba-Sani siphoned local government funds as “false, patently absurd and ill-intentioned”.
ALGON further said the allegations are meant to mislead the public, create disaffection, and ridicule the all -inclusive, pro-poor and people-oriented administration in Kaduna state.
El- Rufai had accused Governor Uba Sani of diverting local government funds to purchase property in Seychelles, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Addressing a press conference, Tuesday, the spokesperson of ALGON, Alhaji Muhammad Lawal Shehu, said the Governor Uba Sani administration stands for the rule of law and due process.
He said: “Transparency and accountability are its watchwords. It supports and respects the financial autonomy of local governments. It has never tampered with the funds of local governments.’’
The spokesman further stated that on the contrary, the Governor Sani administration has been taking measures and executing programmes and projects to complement the efforts of local governments.
Alhaji Muhammad recalled that: “Some of us served as local government chairmen when Mallam el-Rufai was in office as governor. We can testify to the fact that what we have been receiving as monthly allocation since Senator Sani became governor is more than double the amount we received during Malam El-Rufai’s administration.
“Apart from enhanced monthly allocations, we have been operating in an atmosphere devoid of harassment and intimidation, unlike Malam El-Rufai’s era that was marked by highhandedness and coercion,’’ he added.