Following what they termed as a display of greed and financial impropriety by the former chairmen of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria(ALGON) in Oyo State, their secretaries, chiefs of staff and supervisory councillors, have drawn a battle line with them over the injustice and unfair treatment meted on them in respect of the sharing template on the disbursed N1billion received so far by the judgment creditor.
The forum berated the ex-ALGON chairmen for lack of discretion and total disrespect to its members on the adopted sharing formula.
According to the group, it described the sharing template adopted by the judgment creditor (Ex-ALGON) as wicked, derisive and rude, noting that the ex-ALGON cruelly arrived at N2.5million each for the executive chairmen, N1.5million each for the vice chairmen, N1.3million each for leaders of the house, N1.2m each for the councillors, while sanctioning a paltry N90 thousand each for the secretaries, chiefs of staff and supervisory councillors, describing this as “greed taken too far.”
In their reactions, while speaking with Vanguard on Tuesday, the ex F&GPC members of the local govt and LCDAs’ lamented that the decision taken by the ex-chairmen of ALGON was a cruel and apparently an embarrassment on their members who also constituted an important layer in ALGON.
The group called for immediate review of what they described as a highly debasing sharing formula in the interest of justice, peace and fairness. It described all compliance with this sharing formula as heartless and vicious
The group noted that the ex-ALGON struggle was beyond elected officials alone.
Noting further, the group opined that the bulk of the money utilized to prosecute the protracted court case was not solely from chairmen, adding that it was sourced from multiple channels including serving national assembly members, a forum of local government appointees and individuals.
Meanwhile, It was gathered that the forum of secretaries, CoS and supervisors had now requested the service of a competent lawyer for legal advice and steps to be taken to sustain the course of justice.
It was learnt that they have equally met with the ex-chairman of ALGON in the persons of Mr Abass Aleshinloye, Mr Jesutoye, Comrade Ajuwon and the likes, over injustice being meted on them, and they vowed that they would soon embark on a mother of all protest soonest if they feel reluctant to correct the injustice.
While justifying their stance, the secretaries, chiefs of staff and supervisory councillors claimed that the same chairmen who had been in offices for nearly a year before their appointments refused to pay their backlogs of salary and statutory entitlements despite being appointed three months before their “inglorious” dissolution.
They condemned the ex-chairman for proving that they were entitled to take the lion share, having stood in positions to sign the documents and all correspondences that necessitated their appointments across the local governments.
With the alleged injustice, they have shown their readiness to embark on mother of all protest, not minding the service of a lawyer, who on their behalf, will seek legal interpretation of involvement in the administration of the local council.
They fumed that they cannot accept the money to be disbursed into their respective bank accounts, because they all suffered, faced hell and battles while the goings were tough.
They, however, reiterated that they would not back down nor surrender in the current duel, stressing that an injustice to one is an injustice to all.
They concluded that the ex-chairmen are self-centred, wicked and unmindful over their stance, to allocate such a huge share to themselves, while only approving such a ridiculous and meagre amount to the appointees.
In a related development, the immediate past Councillors’ Forum in Oyo State has criticised the Forum of Secretaries, Chiefs of Staff and Supervisory Councillors to the sacked local government chairmen over a story attributed to them, where they described the sharp disparity in the sharing template on the disbursed N1 billion received so far by the judgement creditor as “cruel.”
The Forum of Secretaries, Chiefs of Staff and Supervisory Councillors, over the weekend, kicked against the sharing template of the N1 billion part payment of the salaries and allowances of the local government chairmen and councillors sacked from office by Governor Seyi Makinde in May 2019, as ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgement.
It was learnt that trouble started with the disbursement of the part payment when the former secretaries, chiefs of staff and councillors were reportedly paid a sum of N90,000 each while the former chairmen allegedly smiled home with N2.5 million each.
Kicking against the said sharing template, the Forum said the sacked chairmen were not fair to them with the sharing template, saying, the former council chairmen lacked “discretion and total disrespect to its members on the adopted sharing formula.”
But a statement issued on Tuesday by the Councilors’ Forum described the former secretaries, chiefs of staff and supervisory councillors as ingrates.
The statement signed by the Councillors’ Forum chairman, Hon. Adesoji Adesokan, said the former secretaries, chiefs of staff and supervisory councillors were not captured in the Supreme Court judgement and were never a party in the case from the lower court to the apex court.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to the fabrication of lies by the former LG secretaries and others. The entire story was not true, misleading and it’s capable of destroying the peace of the state.
“We refute in its entirety the purported story by former LG secretaries, supervisors and others kicking against the N1billion sharing template as circulated in the online platform of a national newspaper.
“To the best of our knowledge, it was through the intervention of the Ex-ALGON excos that the Forum of Secretaries and others was included in the sharing formula because they were not captured in the judgement at the Supreme Court, and they were never a party in our case from the lower court to the Supreme Court. Where it was stated that all the allowances and entitlements of the ELECTED Chairmen and Councillors of the local governments and LCDAs should be paid.
“ They were not part of the judgement payment. How can anyone be so unkind to the Ex-ALGON excos led by Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye and deliberately want to cause confusion to a most dynamic and trusted leadership, more so that the writer is faceless and an impostor!
“These are people who have become rogues and almost destroyed the foundation of the Ex-ALGON leadership that fought the purported dissolution of the elected chairmen and councillors.
“Suffice to say that the mischievous individual who sponsored the dastardly publication to embarrass the amiable ex-ALGON body for personal benefits is an inconsequential rascal known to all members. We urge the public to discountenance the fictitious story as published.This is scandalous with a most haunting venom of the ranting of an ant.
“We cannot sit and watch people of questionable and unstable character that are not even part of our case and never contested an election to make such flagrant and unfortunate statement.”
The councillors asked the ex-ALGON leadership to stop deducting money from their accounts for the former secretaries, chiefs of staff and supervisory councillors, saying “they have proved to be an ingrate after the judgement clarified the status of beneficiaries as “elected officials.”
