Sambo denies being molested by youths

Hassan Ibrahim, Kaduna - 26.06.2009

The crisis over the administration of local governments in Ondo State deepened on Thursday, as the state House of Assembly witnessed a rowdy session following its directive that the Federal Government should not disburse funds to the 18 local governments in the state from the Federation Accounts.

This is coming as the local government chairmen said they had already appealed against the judgment of an Akure High Court that sacked them from office on Wednesday.

The former chairman of the Association of Local Government (ALGON) in the state, Mr. Adedayo Omolafe, said although, the judgment was shocking, the chairmen had decided to appeal to a higher court.

The sitting of the house which saw members of the Labour Party (LP) in the house supporting the move by the governor however, went rowdy following a motion that the federal government, through the ministry of finance, should withhold the money meant for the local governments.

Also, the Assembly passed a resolution stopping any of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee members from touching the tax payers’ money or any of the allocation of the 18 local government areas of the state.

The Speaker, Taofik Abdusalam, while ruling on the motion brought by Henry Akinsuroju, held that the decision of the governor to constitute interim government in the local governments was “arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitu