The protesters locked the council chairman's office and shut down the secretariat of the council, preventing employees from entering their workplaces.


The ongoing dispute between council members and Victor Asasa, chairman of the Isoko South Local Government Area in Delta state, has assumed a new dimension as the council members accuse the chairman of giving his wife an unauthorized N4 million contract for the printing of a calendar and an N200,000 monthly imprest.


Last Thursday, the councilors protested against council chairman Victor Asasa due to what they called his "high-handedness, incompetence, absenteeism as well as borrowing without approvals," among other things, from the legislative branch.


The protesters locked the council chairman's office and shut down the secretariat of the council, preventing employees from entering their workplaces.


The protesters locked the council chairman's office and shut down the secretariat of the council, preventing employees from entering their workplaces.


The protesters held up signs that read, among other things, "We say no to borrowing without the legislators' approval." If Mike Evivie wants to continue serving as chairman of the Isoko South LGC, he should step down. "We say no to running the council without a budget for the year 2022," "Asasa is not fit for the post of a council chairman," and "Asasa should be investigated for diverting IGR (Internally Generated Revenue) to private accounts."


Under the condition of anonymity, a disgruntled councilor and the principal officer of the Isoko South legislative arm told on Monday that the legislative arm organized the protest because of the council chairman's alleged failure to appear at the office for several months.


We councilors are extremely enraged with the council chairman, Victor Asasa, as I speak to you. He feels that the council is his private matter. Can you believe his wife works for the neighborhood council as a contractor?


He gave his wife an N4 million contract to print the local government calendar, and he also gives his wife, who is not an elected official in the local government, an N200,000 monthly imprest without our, councilors', consent. Since we protested against the council chairman on Thursday, some of our leaders have put pressure on us to distance ourselves from the demonstration.


"But the reality is that what should we do when the council chairman is handling the council's business as if it were his estate? He doesn't show up at the workplace. Every time you call, he will always say he is in the hospital, but as soon as the monthly allotment arrives, he will call for it. They will deliver the salary and wage bill to him at his base in Port Harcourt. Instead of coming to the office, he will sign it there and give instructions for some money to be paid into personal bank accounts.


"He is unfit to serve as the chairman of Isoko South; he keeps the Internally Generated Revenue of the council for his use. He is leading the council without a 2022 budget as we speak.


"Asasa signed a loan agreement for N5 million with the council treasurer, Ufuoma Aso, and the HPM. The treasurer cried out when the council chairman refused to return the money because it was causing issues. Asasa vehemently refused when the council treasurer demanded that they pay N2 million from the N5 million when the final allocation arrived.


The council chairman, Asasa, refused to pay N2 million out of the borrowed N5 million, and the treasurer then vowed not to sign the allocation check. Before we could react, the council chairman summoned and threatened the treasurer of the council while also calling the head of the Asaba local government civil service commission.


It was heard that the embattled council chairman, Asasa, would hold a peace meeting with the councilors on Wednesday where he would apologize and beg for forgiveness thanks to the intervention of some PDP leaders in the council.