POLITICS DIGEST – The Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State chapter, has expressed its dissatisfaction the planned appointment of caretaker chairmen for the 33 local government areas in the state by Governor Seyi Makinde.
A statement by ALGON Chairman in the state, Mr Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, described the plan as “tales by moonlight on grassroots democratic governance.”
According to Abass-Aleshinloye, the governor’s plan is “a tale better told to the uninformed and co-deceptive wreckers of the democratic culture.”
He described democracy as a seed that germinates and develops on the practice and strict adherence to the rule of law and a willingness to entrench the democratic culture by its proponents.
He said, “So far, Governor Makinde’s undemocratic disposition and flagrant disobedience, with impunity, of court orders by illegally dissolving constitutional bodies, elected democratic local government structures, breaches of contractual obligations, in Oyo State clearly shows a despotic government.
“Perhaps the governor may want democracy, but it appears his spirit is too weak to take the necessary courageous steps to be on the right path for its evolution.”
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Abass-Aleshinloye drew the governor’s attention to the subsisting judgments of the Supreme Court that declared as illegal, null and void, any dissolution of elected local government councils by state governors and state assemblies.
He said, “The governor is fully aware of this and the specific judgment of the Oyo State High Court, which re-emphasised same and restrained the Oyo State Governor and House of Assembly from dissolving local governments.
“The governor did not only consciously flout these subsisting court orders/judgments; he also took other dangerous steps by illegally dissolving OYSIEC, a constitutional body with a specified tenure provided by our constitution. To add salt to the injury, His Excellency moved a notch further in acts of illegality by seeking to bribe members, through monetisation, of OYSIEC dissolution which has raised both moral and legal questions as to the reckless use of taxpayers’ money for illegal, selfish and partisan ends.
“This governor continues in reckless abandon to abuse his oath of office by constantly reiterating that he would conduct local government elections into councils next year, even while the tenure of our members subsist. Is this the said people’s mandate, to trample on everything sacred in our constitution?”
