Gov’s Action: Crisis Looms In Oyo …As Sacked LG Bosses Threaten To Resume Office, Today

Crisis is currently looming in some parts of Oyo State over the order by the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State chapter that the sacked council bosses should resume their offices tomorrow.
Our correspondent recalls that all the elected council chairmen who were elected during the administration of the immediate past Governor of the state, Mr. Abiola Ajimobi, have been sacked by the incumbent Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde.
It was gathered that Makinde had forwarded list of caretaker committee members in all the 33 local government areas and administrators for the 35 local council development areas to the state House of Assembly for screening.
But, Chairman of ALGON, Mr. Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, has directed all the Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, councillors and all political appointees who were elected during the last administration in the state to resume in their respective offices tomorrow.
He added that the directive is in compliance with the judgement of Oyo State High Court dated the 6th May, 2018 and the subsisting judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which guaranteed the tenure of office of democratically elected local government councils.
Abass-Aleshinloye in the statement said, “All the democratically elected Executive Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, Councillors and the political appointees are hereby directed to resume back to their respective Councils tomorrow, the 18th Dec, 2019.
“This directive is in compliance with the Judgement of Oyo State High Court dated the 6th May, 2018 and the subsisting judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which guaranteed the tenure of office of democratically elected local government councils. We must protect the rule of law from been desecrated. ALGON Oyo State’s Response to Gov. Seyi Makinde’s illegitimate Proposed Inauguration of Local Government Caretaker Committees in Oyo State.
“Despite his assurance less than 72 hours ago, that he would not disobey Supreme Court judgements on the illegality in Nigeria of any Caretaker Committee, a contraption unknown to law, Governor Makinde has finally eaten his words and dignity to breach the constitution and flout the judgements of the highest court in the land by setting up Caretaker Committees and Sole Administrators in all the local government councils and council development areas in the state.
“It is now clear that Governor Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State House of Assembly and the Attorney General of Oyo state, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo have declared war on our constitution, and drawn a battle line with the Supreme Court and the Judiciary as a whole by disregarding all the Judgements of the Supreme Court, and the Oyo State High Court which declared Caretaker Chairmen over Local Governments an illegality to our Constitution, and forbade the Governor from removing Elected Local Government Chairmen via unconstitutional dissolution of councils.