Date: 2019-12-24

Sixteen suspended local government council vice chairmen and councilors in Kwara State on Monday said they have sued the state government for extending their suspension for another six months.

The elected council officials also alleged that their salaries had not been paid in the last six months since their suspension.

Kwara state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had some weeks after assumption of office suspended all the elected council officials, accusing the 16 local government chairmen of misappropriation of funds.

Also, last week, the state government extended the suspension of the officials for another six months.

Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital on behalf of the affected politicians, Yusuf Salihu Mohammed, said: "The case in court can still be amicably settled if the governor respects the rule of law and does the needful in this circumstance."

Mohammed urged people of good conscience, traditional rulers and religious leaders to intercede on their behalf.

He berated the state government for suspending the vice chairmen and councilors, even when they had not been found to be complicit in the alleged misappropriation of the council funds.

He said: "We are now in court believing that the judiciary, which is the last hope of the common man, will wipe our tears. We do not regret approaching the court because our initial suspicion that our suspension will be extended was confirmed December 17th, 2019 when the governor pronounced a six month extension of the suspension order."