Few hours after the Supreme Court judgment on Oyo state local government imbroglio, former governor of the state and Chairman, ( APC) Elders Advisory Council in the state , Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala on Friday asked Goveror Seyi Makinde to do the needful and postpone the planned local Government election fixed for May 22, this year.
Otunba Alao Akala stated this while reacting to to the Supreme court judgement that invalidated the sack of the elected Chairmen of the 33 local government areas in Oyo state,
The APC Advisory Council Chairman in Oyo state pointed out that postponing the planned election to a later date will go a long way in protecting the sanctity of our evolving democracy, saying, now that the dust has finally settled on the legality or otherwise of the sack of the duly elected local government chairmen, ” it is trite in law for Governor Makinde to see that there is the need to postpone the election”.
” Going on with the local government election as earlier scheduled will throw the state into another round of legal gymnastics. My advise to him is to sit down with the OYSIEC officials, look in to the new development and do the needful which is to shift the election date. Fortunately, the Oyo state Independent electoral Commission Chairman is a Learned fellow.”, he said
The APC leader added, “he know what the law says as regards disenfranchisement, he know what the constitution say about holding elections and he knows the consequences of holding a one sided election.”
“Apart from that, both the Gov Seyi Makinde and the OYSIEC Chairman have a name to protect now and in the future of the development of our democracy in Nigeria.This is an opportunity for Engr. Seyi Makinde to correct his past mistakes. He should not commit another blunder by going on with that election which i am hundred percent certain will be faulted again by the constitution, the electoral act and the judiciary” .
On the Supreme court judgement, the former governor lauded the Court for guiding against the unguarded disregard on the sanctity of the constitution,
Otunba Alao Akala then called on the judicial arm of government to find possible means of fast-tracking time bound litigations that can disenfranchise litigants of their legal rights as is the case of Oyo state ALGON where the final judgment is delivered few days to the official end of the tenure of office of the litigants.
