Benue PDP faults Alia over LG workers’ attendance register

The Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State has condemned the directive issued by Governor Hyacinth Alia, ordering the 23 local government areas to maintain attendance registers for their workers.

The Benue State Local Government Service Commission, in a letter dated September 24, 2026, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, John Akume, on behalf of the chairman of the commission, had directed all LGAs to maintain daily staff attendance registers across departments.

The circular read, “I am directed to inform you that owing to the directives from His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Dr Hyacinth Alia, all establishments in the state civil service are to keep and maintain attendance registers.

“To this end, all local government councils are directed to comply with the above directive by opening attendance registers for staff across Departments.

These registers are to be opened and closed by Heads of Departments daily at 8:30 am, as only staff who attain the minimum punctuality of 25 days would be eligible for payment of salaries.”

The permanent secretary advised that all the local government councils must adhere strictly to the directive beginning from  October 1, 2026.

Reacting, the opposition PDP described the directive as “draconian and anti-worker.”

In a statement issued by the party’s state publicity secretary, Bright Antyo and made available to journalists in Makurdi on Thursday, the PDP said the directive negated the judgment of the Supreme Court, which affirmed the financial and administrative autonomy of local governments in Nigeria.

The PDP statement read, “This directive is not only draconian and anti-worker, but also a direct affront to the spirit and letter of the landmark Supreme Court judgment of July 2024, which affirmed the financial and administrative autonomy of local governments in Nigeria.

“Autonomy means independence. Autonomy means local governments should be free to take decisions concerning their administration, personnel management and internal operations without interference from the state government.

A governor who genuinely believes in local government autonomy cannot simultaneously act as a supervisor, inspector, disciplinarian and paymaster of local government employees.”

The major opposition party in the state stated that the directive had exposed the contradiction between the governor’s public rhetoric and the reality on the ground.

“While the administration continues to celebrate supposed local government autonomy in public speeches, its actions reveal a desperate determination to retain control over affairs of the 23 councils through intimidation and despotic directives.

“Even more disturbing is the threat that workers who fail to meet a prescribed attendance requirement would be denied salaries.

“The authority to determine staff attendance, discipline workers and administer payroll belongs to the appropriate local government authorities, not the Governor’s Office or agencies acting on its behalf.

“Attempting to centralise such powers undermines the constitutional status of Local Governments and reduces elected council officials to mere spectators in the administration of their councils.”

The opposition PDP asked if the governor had been receiving directives from the Federal Government on how to administer the state.

The PDP said that with the directive, the third tier of government had been reduced to an appendage of the governor.

“They neither possess the practical freedom nor the financial capacity to award contracts independently.

“The governor runs the councils as extensions of his office, while any local government chairman who dares to complain or assert independence is swiftly suspended and eventually forced out of office,” the statement concluded.