*Says they will not succeed
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has declared that chairmen of local government areas and local council development authorities sacked during his first term are using all underhand methods to distract his government and hurt the people of the state.
The governor who said this on Saturday, during an end-of-the-year Media Chat hosted by the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) disclosed that the sacked Chairmen of Local Governments and Local Council Development Authorities are alleged trying to destabilise Oyo state but that they will not succeed.
Responding to a question on a garnishee order on Oyo State Government accounts obtained by the sacked chairmen, the governor said they were on a frolic of legal rascality and that his government would not bow to pressure to pay the state’s money into wrong hands until all legal means are exhausted
The governor while justifying the sack of the ex-LG Chairmen noted that their election was premised on unconstitutionality, saying, “I was not wrongly advised and if I have to take the decision all over again, I will do exactly the same thing”
” Before we came in, the previous administration had elections into the constitutionally recognised 33 local government areas as well as the LCDAs. So, that was the basis for our decision.I could have worked with anybody but, because they did something that was not in line with the constitution, we decided that they had to go”, he said
Gov Makinde added, “That was not the first time. It may look like I took that decision in line with things that happened in the past. No, I took the decision solely because I felt we cannot build a foundation on unconstitutionality”.
He pointed out that the the ex-LG Chairmen had been forum shopping for all kinds of court processes, but he had kept his focus, adding that the government would now go after the embattled chairmen lawfully with a view to ensuring that they account for their deeds.
” Those people that were dissolved in 2007 and 2011, this administration is still paying their entitlements. When it got to 2019, they went to court and the case was dismissed and they were forum shopping, going to different courts until they got to FCT High Court.
” I was going to go after them and somebody in my own legal team came and said it was an abuse of court process. FCT High Court is in its own jurisdiction as the Oyo State High Court that dismissed this case in the first instance. On that singular act, I was distracted and I don’t easily get distracted”.
The governor stressed, “But I have news for them; they will not get a dime till the Supreme Court asks us to pay. I will not pay to the wrong people. I still held a meeting yesterday with the team. It is nothing to worry about. This is a government that is based on the constitution.”
Governor Makinde maintained that his government would turn the economic situation in the state around shortly, adding that though there had been a major impact in the country due to economic challenges, the state would be in a far better situation in a few months.
According to him, his administration had been taking well-detailed and thought-out decisions to secure the future of the state while also taking care of the moment, which is the whole idea of sustainable development, saying, parts of the well-thought-out decisions was the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) initiative introduced by the state in the wake of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“In Oyo State, we introduced SAfER. Yes, the food element is there but we also have the transportation element, which allows us to help people move around. And we did not concentrate on Ibadan alone.
We have the health package to give room for assessment of medical care and wage awards for civil servants and pensioners. Those are the things we believe will germinate over time.”
