Don’t Collide With Edo Govt To Alter Council’s Account Signatories – PDP Tells Banks
By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned commercial banks in the state not to conspire with the state government to alter the signatories of accounts of the purported suspended councils’ chairmen.
Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, Chairman, Edo State PDP Caretaker Committee gave the warning at a press conference on Tuesday in Benin City titled, “Extermination of Constitution in Edo”.
Aziegbemi alleged that the directive by Governor Okpebholo to banks to change the signatures of the accounts of council bosses was to pave the way for the looting of the councils’ funds.
He threatened that if any bank obeyed the directives, the party would have no option than to drag such a bank to the court of law.
He also alleged that there are reports of illegal requests for sensitive council documents by unauthorized persons in the state.
According to him, we are also witnessing another very disturbing trend, the local government chairmen are signatories to the account of their various councils.
“What Governor Monday Okpebholo and his cohorts are trying to do is to change the signatories of those accounts making sure that the elected council chairmen that are supposed to be signatories to these accounts do not have access to those accounts.
“We have also witnessed unauthorized attempts to alter signatories to Local Government Accounts as well as clandestine efforts to withdraw funds from Local Government Accounts without a proper mandate.
“There are also reports of illegal requests for sensitive council documents by unauthorized persons.
“We want to warn the bank that if any of them obey that illegal instructions we will charge that bank to court. If any bank illegally changes the signatories of accounts of the elected local government chairmen the party will institute legal action against such bank”, he warned.
He, however, opined that the alleged flagrant disregard to the nation’s judiciary and the subversion of the constitution by the Edo State in the purported suspension of the 18 Local government chairmen and their vice was a serious threat to the country’s democracy.
He added that the action would not only undermine the rule of law but would also create a dangerous precedent, weakening the entire nation’s legal and democratic system.
“What we are witnessing, and we say this with all sense of responsibility , is an attempt to unlawfully and illegally remove or overthrow an elected tier of government in Edo state, a component and federating unit of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Constitution and judicial orders. In other words, an attempted coup d’etat in the state”,he stated.
