Kogi House of Assembly again on Thursday, extended the tenure of the Transition Committee chairmen of the 21 local government areas of the state by another six months.
This followed a communication by the Gov. Yahaya Bello, read at plenary by Mr Mathew Kolawole, the Speaker of the Assembly requesting the extension of the council appointees.
In the communication, the governor cited paucity of funds to conduct elections into the councils as the rationale for extension.
“This administration would have preferred to hold election at the various councils but our financial realities have constrained us to focus on salaries and recovery from the recent natural disaster, among other pressing needs.
“It, therefore, falls on the Assembly to keep our local government administration running within the ambit of the law by again extending the tenures of the transition committees in our local government areas,”Bello said.
According to him, the request for six-month extension was also in line with Part 8 Section 56(3) of the Kogi State Local Government Amendment Law, 2008.
The governor, however, assured that elections would be conducted at the local councils within the extension period.
The Majority Leader of the House, Abdullahi Bello (APC-Ajaokuta),however, noted that the tenure extension of six months granted the committee expired on Sept,30.
The Speaker, in his ruling, said that the request was considered in view of the paucity of funds, coupled with other constraints highlighted by the governor.
Kolawole, however, expressed the hope that the state government would be able to conduct the council elections before the expiration of the six-month extension, adding that the current extension made it the fourth time.