Suspended council chairmen under the aegis of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Oyo state chapter have fired back at Governor Seyi Makinde, insisting the election that brought them to office was not in any way conducted against any court order.
The group through its chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, noted that the purported court order the PDP government is laying claim had been vacated in a Federal High Court ruling, which paved way for the conduct of the council elections across the state on May 12, 2018.
The governor, through his Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka while justifying the purported sack of the council bosses, had said the conduct of the local government polls was against a valid court order.
He said the so- called injunction gotten by the affected chairmen was an ‘arrangee judgment’
He advised the sacked council bosses to go ahead and challenge the government decision in court, adding the new government will only obey valid court orders.
According to him: “In Oyo state, we have a history of lots of unconstitutional behaviours by the outgone government.
“This last local government was put together in an election that was against a subsisting court order.
“I know people will go about and say, those local government executives also went to court to get an order but we all know that that was an ‘arrangee’ judgement.
“It was filed by the same people against the same side that did not oppose the application.
“We want to rewrite all the things that have gone wrong in this state.
“So, for us, we intend to obey court orders that are valid. So, we are waiting for them to challenge our decision of this administration, we have nothing to hide.
“In the meanwhile, we have directed that the Heads of various administration in the various Local Governments to take over.
“So, the way the issues have been resolved is that the local government executives have been shown their way out and that is how it is going to be as at now.
“As soon as we come back to make further adjustment to our positions, we will let the people of Oyo state know where we are. But as at now, they stand dissolved.
Reacting in statement signed by the ALGON chairman, the council bosses expressed shock a top government functionary in the status of Ilaka could describe a valid court judgement as an ‘arrangee’.
They alleged the choice of white lies, arrogance and executive lawlessness taken by the government to cover up its crime in the stead of truth is not good enough.
The chairmen said: “In its response to its act of illegality of dissolving democratically elected local government administration, all discerning minds expected Oyo state government to defend its act of lawlessness and contempt of a subsisting court judgment on point of law and on absolute truth. But unfortunately, Governor Seyi Makinde administration opted for the path of ‘white lies’, arrogance and executive lawlessness.
“Unlike the concocted lies spewed to the press by Makinde’s Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka, we hereby restate that the local government election conducted during the administration of the ex – governor Abiola Ajimobi was never conducted against a Court Order.
“The court order that Chief Ilaka ‘got stranded with’ was vacated on May 10, 2018.
“There was an order of the Federal High Court Ibadan restraining the OYSIEC prior to our election from conducting the said election but the said order was discharged on the 10th May 2018 by Justice Joyce Abdul Malik of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan while delivering her judgement on the suit FHC/IB/CS/47/2018 (Olugbenga Adeyemi & Others V INEC, OYSIEC and OYSG) paving ways for the local government election which was conducted on the 12th May 2018.
“Do not ridicule the judiciary. It is very ridiculous and scaring for a top government official of Chief Ilaka status to describe a judgment of a competent court that restrained Oyo State government from dissolving a duly elected local government as an ‘arrangee judgement’.
“We advise Oyo State government not to do anything that will bring the Judiciary, an independent arm of government, to ridicule and opprobrium in the face of the public.
“Such uncouth language expressed by Governor Makinde’s chief of staff should have been left on the soapbox after political campaigns and not be used in the arena of civil governance.
“Governance is a serious business, so the government should be civil in conduct and public discourse.
“The only constitutional way to redress any court judgment is to appeal not to disparage it or result to self-help.
“Advising ALGON to go to court by Chief Ilaka on behalf of his employer is hypocritical and self-contradictory.
“How can a lawless government whose spokesperson described a court judgement as ‘arrangee’ now turned around to advise ALGON to go to court?
“Do they have the sincerity and credibility when the same government that flouted and derided court now advised that we should go to court?
“This government is not competent to so advise, our lawyers are already in court to do the needful and also proceed with a contempt of court case against the state government.”
