No fewer than 120 members of the 2003 Local Government Transition Committees of Kwara State have sued 13 of the now 16 local government councils of the state before an Ilorin High Court presided over by Justice Mohammed Emiworogi for alleged unpaid salaries and allowances.

The defendants are Ekiti, Irepodun, Oyun, Kaiama, Edu, Ilorin East, Ilorin West, Ilorin South, Oke-Ero, Moro, Patigi, Ifelodun and Offa local government areas.

There were about 33 local government areas in Kwara State as of 2003 created by a former governor of the state, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, but were later reversed to 16 councils by the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki.

One of the claimants, Mr. Gboyega Amototo, said they were being owed N80m as salaries and allowances.

The claimants, through their counsel, Mr. Magaji Abdulkadir, urged the court to declare that the alleged refusal by the defendants to pay the money was illegal.

Justice Emiworogi adjourned the matter till March 31.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong, has flayed Governor Jonah Jang’s administration for non-payment of the workers’ salaries for five months.

Lalong told journalists in Jos on Friday that despite the over N3.5bn allocation being given to the state every month by the Federal Government, Jang still found it convenient not to pay the workers.

He said Jang had no excuse to owe workers because the workers’ wage bill had not increased since the governor assumed office.