Elechi Dares Ebonyi Assembly over Plan to Freeze Accounts

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, has said that the state House of Assembly had no power to freeze the accounts of local governments, development centres or any other agencies of the government, since such powers resided with the executive arm of government.

He said that the recent resolutions passed by the  House of Assembly was outside its powers and so is without effect and should be ignored.

In a press statement, Elechi said he was yet to be formally communicated with the resolutions in line with intra-govermental procedures. He reminded the House that the implementation of any legislative resolution was discretionary and at the pleasure of the Executive arm of government and that it was only a court of law with competent jurisdiction that could order the freezing of any account of government or persons.

On the sale of forms for allocation of stalls at Ocho Udo International Market, the Governor maintained the House of Assembly also lacked the powers to stop the ongoing process in the market, explaining further that it was noteworthy that his administration initiated the construction of the market in 2009 and has so far invested the sum of N18.3 billion in its development.

“So far, out of the 7070 stalls, which is the full capacity of the market, 5600 stalls have been completed, while work is ongoing in the remaining ones. The sale of forms for the allocation of stalls are for the already completed ones and not for the uncompleted components.  Even at that, many state governments develop their markets on the basis of “build and operate” principle in which the traders bear the cost of construction of such markets without government’s financial input.”

He recalled that as early as December 2012, the Executives of the Ebonyi State Amalgamated Traders Association led by its Chairman,  Mr. Peter Oba, led a delegation to him and appealed that the completed stalls at the market should be allocated to the traders but according to Elechi, the government decided to delay the allocations until a more substantial number of stalls had been completed so as to avoid cut throat competition and fraud.

He further added that it was noteworthy that the bond facility, which the state government was seeking from the financial market, was to enable it complete the market, including internal roads and other ancillary facilities, but the House of Assembly, apart from stalling that loan, is now seeking to stop the state government from generating funds from the completed stalls.