Benue State Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu has opened up on why he believes Deputy governors in Nigeria usually fall out with their bosses during their stay in office.
Speaking on Thursday, the Deputy Governor stated that ‘assumption of right’ was majorly responsible for the friction between the governors and deputy governors.
Speaking to journalists after consulting with the Peoples Democratic Party State Working Committee on his governorship aspiration in 2023, Abounu said a deputy governor, ‘has no right whatsoever in the constitution’.
While stating that all deputies are at the mercy of the governors, Abounu said that ‘any deputy governor that does not assume right will surely not have problem with his principal.’
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He said, ‘The reason why some deputies fall out with their principals is because they assumed rights. Some deputy governors have the belief that they are being short-changed, they are not been given enough, and that they are not getting what is due to them.
‘But as deputy governor, you have no right, none whatsoever, because the constitution does not ascribe anything to the deputy governor.
‘Only two things that are available to deputy governors are, in the event the governor goes on holiday and ask the deputy to act and the second is in the event the governor decides to give you any assignment to carry out. And if he (governor) decides not to assign any duty to you, has he committed any offense?’
He explained that Governor Ortom had given him the nod to consult with stakeholders to share his vision with them.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK