Former Local Council Chairmen sacked by Governor Seyi Makinde in 2019 operating under the aegis of Forum-68 have accused the Governor of running Oyo State with impunity by not obeying the May 7, 2021 Supreme Court Judgement which asked the State government to pay their salaries and allowances from when they were sacked to the expiration of their tenure.
A former Chairman of Omi-Apata Local Council Development Area, Barrister Adeniyi Oyekunle speaking on behalf of the Forum of the Local Government Chairmen said this today on BOTTOM LINE – a political programme on IBR 92.5 fm Ibadan anchored by Aanuoluwapo Omorinde.
Oyekunle who accused Governor Seyi Makinde of hypocrisy said he cannot comprehend how a government that once paid the salaries and allowances of all Chairmen in local government and local council development areas it’s first month in Office precisely for the month of May 2019 without any complain, will come out to deny the existence of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) afterwards.
It will be recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde had asked these Chairmen to approach the Court for an interpretation of it’s judgement saying the constitution only recognize thirty-three local governments and as such, would need clarification about those to be paid.
But responding, the former local government boss said “please let us leave politics to the Politicians. We were all paid for May 2019 so, if the governor claims the Constitution does not recognize LCDAs, why did he deploy Vice Chairmen there as Sole Administrators? I think the Governor is not being properly advised or he is being misled by those around him”.
Speaking further he said “immediately after the Supreme Court judgement, we approached a accounting firm to do some computations for us and all salaries and allowances for 23 months was put at a little above 7.3 billion naira or approximately 7.4 billion naira. We did not wait we sent it to the State government by 26th of May, 2021.
“Unfortunately, between May 7 when the judgement was given by the Supreme Court and August 7, 2021 given by the Supreme Court as the deadline, the State government did not contact us”.
He noted that it was in a bid to compel the State governor and government to obey the Supreme Court judgment that they approached a high Court in Oyo State for a garnishee order.
When asked of their next line of action, Oyekunle declined comment but stated that the governor has committed an impeachable offence.
However, the Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Abiodun Fadeyi who called in as an audience on the programme said it is important to make some clarifications.
According to him “yes, the Oyo State House of Assembly has the power to create LCDAs but the question is whether the process has been completed no! The National Assembly should have validated the creation of the LCDAs by the State Assembly and that has not been done so, the conduct of uelection into these LCDAs was illegal.
He advised the Chairmen to seek political solution by meeting the Governor.
