Legislators in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State have petitioned Governor Hyacinth Alia and the State House of Assembly over allegation of gross financial impropriety by chairman of the Local Government, Maxwell Ogiri among other things.
The alleged fraud came to the fore following an alarm reportedly raised by Head of Revenue Department in the council, Mrs. Adina Victoria on April 23, 3025 drawing the attention of the legislative house to the chairman’s alleged financial recklessness and the urgent need for the authorities to call him to order.
Mrs. Aduma had accused the chairman of issuing revenue receipts without due approval by her office, inciting revenue committee against the revenue department and hijacking security levies, which according to her, amounted to abuse of authority.
It was on the strength of this development that the legislators, after due diligence, in the petition dated June 17, 2025, which was copied the Benue State Commissioner for Finance, Gubernatorial Liaison Officer(GLO) Otukpo, State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the media seeking for necessary action.
Entitled, “Petition Against the Executive Chairman Otukpo LG, Prince Maxwell Ogiri Over Gross Financial Misconduct”, and signed by 11 legislators including Honourables Amodu Philip Anya (Leader), Gloria Adu Harrison, Anthony Godwin, Idega Friday, Agbo Alapa, Otalu Musa Felix, Edit Johnson Onka, Ameh Sunday, Augustine Elaigwu and Aaron Oono, the petitioners raised weighty misconducts against the chairman and demanded for his investigation by the various authorities.
The Otukpo lawmakers further accused the council boss of allegedly “blackmailing the governor and using his name to swindled a whooping N13 million from 13 councilors by asking them to pay N1 million each for their electoral appeal court in Abuja, operating illegal online bank account through Alternative Bank, illegal printing of revenue receipts, paying Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) into his personal accounts using PoS belonging to his Personal Assistant and spending government funds without budgetary approval.”
Other allegations pinned against the council chairman are his “failure to honour invitations by the legislators to clarify issues bothering on governance, diversion of motorcycles donated by the state governor to ease local security patrols, importing thugs to the council secretariat to disrupt legislative sittings, high hardness and total disrespect for constituted authorities including the Police and National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the local government area.
The aggrieved councillors affirmed, “We first believe that the PoS was been used for Revenue Generation for the Local Government but when we verify we discovered that no kobo was remitted to the Local Government Revenue Account but his PA PoS account.
“We consider this as an act of blackmail and casting of negative aspersion on the administration of governor Alia and his image, hence his anti corruption posture which is globally be acknowledged.
“Since our inauguration in October 24, the chairman has consistently ignored financial rules and regulations by spending public funds acrueable to the legislative council which contravene section 87, subsection 3 of Benue State Local Government Law 2007.
The legislators therefore “appeal to the Benue State House of Assembly to suspend the chairman and his Deputy from office to pave the way for indepth investigation.
Speaking to newsmen on the matter, the State Commissioner for finance and Economic Planning, Michael Oglegba, confirmed the receipt of such petition from councilors in Otukpo local government council bothering on financial misconduct involving the council chairman.
He described the allegations “as very weighty”, adding that he has decided to carry out independent assessment to ascertain the veracity of the documents.
“There is a process to follow in order to treat this kind of petition. As commissioner of finance, I will advise the various authorities including the State House of Assembly to act swiftly.
When contacted, the embattled Chairman, Princ Ogiri denied all the allegations levelled against him and his administration describing them as infringement of people’s imagination, and further indicted the Auditor General for Local Government, whom he claimed gave him the advice to operate the Revenue Accounts with Online Banks.
“All these things they are saying does not exist. I know those behind these unfounded allegations. They got all my councilors as willing tools and began to used them. It is unfortunate that people with good intentions, yearning to bring changes are not allowed,” Ogiri stated
