Forum of former Coordinators in Ebonyi State have written to the state governor, David Umahi demanding the certified true copies of audited accounts of the 13 local governments in the state from 2015 till date.
The Coordinators under the aegis of G64 Former Coordinators Forum also wrote to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) demanding the details of all monies accruable to the accounts of the Councils from the federation account since the inception of the Umahi administration from 2015 till date.
The ex-Coordinators made the demand in two separate letters dated 6th January 2021 by their lawyers, Amos Ogbonna and Ajah Ogbonnaya both of Amos Ogbonnaya and Co, Ebekuedike Chambers with headquarters in Lagos State.
They said their request is pursuant to the provisions of sections 1, 2 and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
In the letter to the Governor, the ex-Coordinators asked Mr. Umahi to specifically avail them details of all allocations from the federation account from June 2015 to December 2020.
They also requested the governor to avail them with details of the 10 percent of the state governments’ internally generated revenue (IGR) which is supposed to be accruable to the councils.
“The said audited accounts should include all outgoings therefrom, this is to say, how the said allocations were disbursed or spent.”
“We want to also know how many state projects were executed in each local government and how much of the council fund was spent on each project.”
“We also demand detailed information of all allocations due and made to the 64 local government development centres of Ebonyi State (if any) within the said period”, the wrote
In the letter to the RMAFC, the Coordinators asked the agency to immediately make available details of all monies credited to the 13 local government areas within the same period from the Federation Account.
The Coordinators gave the governor and the fiscal body two weeks from the date of the letter to make the information available.
They threatened legal action if the governor and the agency failed to make the information requested available to them within two weeks.
“Take notice that the information or record requested to be delivered our Abakaliki office within the period of two weeks from the service of this letter”.
“If by the close of work on Friday 22 January 2021, your office fails refuses or neglects to deliver the said information, we shall be left with no further option than to seek legal redress pursuant to section 2(6) of the Freedom of Information Act”.
A copy of the letter to the governor cited by The Nation shows that the letter was received at the governor’s office by one Mrs. Uguru F.C. on January 6, 2021.
It will be recalled that the ex-coordinators had accused the governor of making them sign consent forms which enabled the state government to withdraw money from the state joint accounts to prosecute the 2019 elections in the state.
But the governor’s spokespersons, Uchenna Orji and Francis Nwaze debunked the allegations and accused the ex-coordinators of peddling falsehood against the governor.
Credit: The Nation