Local Government Chairman Denies Accusation
Some elected councillors in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, Nigeria, have alleged that their signatures were forged in the budget submitted to the Katsina State House of Assembly. They claim they were not consulted before the budget was drafted, making it unrepresentative of their constituencies.
The councillors accused the Local Government Chairman, Anas Isah, of preparing the budget with unauthorized individuals. They stated that they were summoned to the Government House and later directed to the state assembly for the budget presentation, only to find out that an unfamiliar document had already been submitted with a signed endorsement allegedly from them.
In response to inquiries from Katsina Times, Chairman Anas Isah dismissed the allegations, insisting that the budget was prepared with everyone’s knowledge. He challenged anyone doubting the signatures to compare them with previous documents signed by the councillors.
“I was not the chairman in the previous months. Why would I forge a councillor’s signature?” he questioned.
Similarly, the council clerk, Abdulhadi Fayo, affirmed that the councillors had signed the budget, inviting anyone with doubts to inspect the official documents for verification.
State Lawmaker Confirms Irregularities
A member of the Katsina State House of Assembly, who serves on the committee reviewing local government budgets, admitted that there were issues with Kankara’s budget.
“During the budget presentation, a councillor named Saifullahi Mato raised strong objections, but he was dismissed on the grounds that he was not an elected councillor and therefore not entitled to be consulted,” the lawmaker revealed.
He further noted that the budget contained errors and appeared to have been hastily copied from a previous budget, leading to its initial rejection for amendments.
Will Kankara’s Budget Be Reconsidered?
Despite these concerns, the Katsina State House of Assembly has approved the budgets for all local governments. However, questions remain over whether the allegations raised by the Kankara councillors will prompt any further review or action.
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