It seems that it is too early for the newly-sworn in Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state to court trouble for his administration over his dissolution of elected council chairmen and heads of development centres. AGBOOLA BAYO writes on the unfolding drama.
The heat generated by the ongoing controversy over the recent dissolution of local governments and local council development authorities (LCDAS) in Oyo state by Governor Seyi Makinde has not been rested. It is no doubt becoming a recurring decimal and a major political issue in the state considering recent developments.
It is no longer news that the LGs and the LCDAs chairmen few days to the swearing in of Governor Makinde as governor of the state headed for court to secure an injunction restraining him from dissolving the councils based on the fact that they were democratically elected into office by the people of the state.
However, Governor Makinde in a statement issued by his chief of staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka, few hours after his inauguration announced the dissolution of the councils and directed the sacked chairmen to hand over to the respective heads of local government administration or the most senior director in their respective council areas.
Ajimobi condemned action
However, on Sunday, June 16, during a thanksgiving/ reception organised for the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi at the Civic Centre Ibadan, the matter of the dissolution again became a major issue with the former governor publicly baring his mind on the dissolution of the LGs and the LCDAS, saying it was a wrong step.
“Even to the doubting Thomases, it is glaringly clear that Senator Ajimobi whose administration conducted the election into the local government and the LCDAS in May 2018 is of the view that the dissolution of the councils and subsequent sack of the elected chairmen for those council areas by Governor Makinde is undemocratic,” he said.
Speaking at the reception further, Senator Ajimobi, while appreciating the presence of all the sacked LGs and the LCDAs chairmen at the venue of the reception, said contrary to the thinking of some people that he has not been saying anything about the dissolution, he has actually not been keeping silent on the matter.
To apparently show his solidarity with the sacked chairmen, he told them that they are on course with the struggle to retain their seats in the midst of the controversy trailing the struggle saying, “You are on the right track; the law is on your side.”
On Tuesday June 17, the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo state chapter expressed its readiness to meet the state government in the Court of Appeal as it understands that the governor has decided to appeal the High Court judgement that prohibited the government or its agents from dissolving local government and local council development area authorities in the state.
The branch ALGON in a press statement on signed by its chairman and public relations officer, Prince Abass Ayodeji-Aleshinloye and Hon Niyi Adeagbo, respectively stated that the state government was yet to confirm the report but that it commended the governor for taking the action.
“This recourse to the path of honor, rule of law and constitutionalism is good, unlike the initial illegal self- help approach of the government and the arrogant derision of a binding court judgement as an ‘arranged judgment’ by overzealous and excitable agents of government that has been doing it with impunity.”
The sacked chairmen added in the statement that, “We, as elected chairmen of local government and development areas under the umbrella of ALGON are ever ready to meet the state government legally through our able counsels at the Appeal Court when we are officially served.
“Democracy thrives on the rule of law. Anyone that violates the rule of law should be made to face the law. Where tradition is lacking, a striking example is necessary. We fully appreciate the support and solidarity of the good people of Oyo state, ALGON national, our lawyers and all democracy loving people of good conscience in this effort to restore grassroots democracy and good governance.”
Also same Tuesday an Oyo state High Court sitting in Ibadan fixed July 30 for further hearing of a suit filed by the Local Governments and Local Community Development Authorities (LCDAs) to restrain Governor Makinde from sacking them out of office.
At the proceeding, counsel to the governor, Barrister Adeniyi Farinto, said the court counsel to the local government association refused to take an application filed by the respondent while the counsel to the state chapter of the Association of Local Government Chairman of Nigeria (ALGON), Barrister Kunle Sobaloju, in his response said the charge was to commit the judgment respondent, (Governor Makinde) to prison for disobeying a valid and subsisting judgement of the court which had earlier pronounced that the governor did not have power to remove the local government chairmen.
According to Barrister Sobaloju what Governor Makinde did by dissolving the local government chairmen is absolute disregard of court order because at the time the governor took the action, there was no notice of application against the judgment that favoured the LG bosses and the judgment has not been appealed neither set aside by the court. He said whatever Governor Makinde did before May 29 against the judgment given by Justice Aderonke Aderemi is null and void and can be set aside.
“The status quo was that all the chairman of the 33 local government and 35 local council development areas still remain the executive chairman of their respective local governments.” He added that all the local government chairmen were democratically elected by the people the same way the governor was elected, so the governor cannot single handedly removed the council boss. He said the local government bosses will fight the case until they get justice.
