The embattled chairmen of some Local Government Areas in Benue State are expected to appear before the State’s House of Assembly ad hoc committee investigating financial misappropriations have failed to show up.
The 23 council chairmen were suspended by the State Government to allow for their probe by the House.
The assembly had drawn a timetable to quiz at least three of the chairmen on a daily basis, however, the suspended chairmen of Guma LGA, Michael Uba; his counterpart from Katsina Ala, Alfred Atera, and Gboko’s Isaac Mtom on Tuesday failed to appear before the committee.
According to Daily Trust, only treasurers of the respective councils showed up to be grilled after the Peter Ipusu-led three-man panel waited for several hours for the three council chairmen, who did not turn up as scheduled.
Ipusu’s led committee nevertheless received financial documents from treasurers of the councils as they took their turns to explain incomes and expenditures between June, 2022 and June 2023.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the panel said his committee has commenced its investigation in earnest with an opportunity for the suspended chairmen to clear any doubts about their councils’ financial irregularities within the period under review.
