The embattled Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) members in Oyo state Tuesday directed all the local government chairmen and councillors that “are democratically elected” to resume to their duty post in their respective offices Wednesday.
The association has raised monitoring committees to be on ground to enhance coordination and effective engagement for the next one month.
ALGON in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan gave the directive few hours after Governor Seyi Makinde forwarded names of caretaker committees for the 33 local governments and 35 LCDAs in the state to the state House of Assembly.
The association in the statement said, “despite his assurance, less than 72hours 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 judgement 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 Makinde, the Oyo state House of Assembly and the Attorney General of Oyo state, Professor 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.”
Oyo ALGON maintained that, “Inspite of the several judgments of the Supreme Court in 2 recently decided cases declaring caretaker chairmen illegal and barred, such action despite the judgment of Justice A.A. Aderemi of the Oyo state High Court restraining the removal of elected local government chairmen, injunction perpetually restraining the governor of Oyo state from appointing caretaker chairmen over local governments in Oyo state and voiding the unconstitutional practice in the state, the Oyo state House of Assembly Tuesday at a secret session held 6pm at the House chamber hurriedly conducted the screening of 68 nominees forwarded by the governor to the House for appointment as caretaker chairmen over the LGs and LCDAs in Oyo state.”
