The Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, has defended the directive requiring local government workers across the state to maintain daily attendance registers, dismissing the Peoples Democratic Party’s objection as a misinterpretation of local government autonomy.
Kula, in a statement on Friday titled “ACCOUNTABILITY IS NOT DESPOTISM: DEBUNKING THE BENUE PDP’S AUTONOMY SMOKE SCREEN,” argued that requiring public servants to account for their attendance does not amount to interference with local government financial autonomy.
The controversy followed a directive issued through the Benue State Local Government Service Commission requiring the 23 local government councils to maintain daily attendance registers for workers.
The directive indicated that workers who meet a prescribed minimum attendance threshold would qualify for salary payments.
Kula questioned the PDP’s interpretation of the directive, asking how routine attendance monitoring could amount to an assault on local government autonomy.
He argued that Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution recognises the system of democratically elected local government councils while providing a constitutional framework for their establishment, structure, functions and related matters.
He said the Constitution also sets out the functions of local government councils in the Fourth Schedule, noting that autonomy should not be interpreted as administrative isolation from all state institutions.
Kula also distinguished between financial autonomy and personnel administration, arguing that keeping attendance records does not amount to controlling a council’s bank account or taking over its finances.
He maintained that the Local Government Service Commission has responsibilities relating to local government personnel and that its existence demonstrates that local government administration involves statutory institutional relationships.
The governor’s aide challenged the PDP to clarify whether it wanted the commission to carry out its personnel-related responsibilities or merely exist without exercising them.
Kula further rejected the opposition party’s description of autonomy as complete independence from state-level administrative oversight, arguing that elected councils and their employees remain subject to applicable laws and regulations.
He said Governor Hyacinth Alia’s position should be viewed within what he described as the proper constitutional framework, where local government councils retain their recognised functions while state institutions exercise powers granted to them by law.
“The sensible question is not whether the state can ever have any administrative relationship with Local Governments; the question is whether a particular directive is authorised by the relevant law,” Kula said.
He added that the PDP was free to disagree with the governor’s policy but should distinguish political disagreement from constitutional interpretation.
Kula said the attendance directive was focused on ensuring that workers report for duty and account for their presence, rather than interfering with local government finances.
He maintained that accountability, discipline and compliance with public service rules should not be equated with an attempt to undermine local government autonomy.
The governor’s aide concluded that local government autonomy should not be interpreted as administrative lawlessness, stressing that an attendance register is a personnel management tool and not a financial instrument.
Attendance register doesn’t violate LG autonomy – Gov Alia’s aide replies PDP