Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has asserted that he will not release funds to the local government chairmen he sacked in 2019 until the Supreme Court mandates him to do so.
His comments come in response to the garnishee order on state government accounts obtained from an Abuja Federal High Court by the dismissed chairmen.
Justice A.O. Ebong issued the order on December 15, attaching the state government’s accounts in 10 commercial banks. The local government chairmen initiated the garnishee proceeding following their dismissal by Makinde on May 29, 2019.
While the Supreme Court invalidated the sacking of the chairmen and councillors on May 7, 2021, the sacked officials secured a judgment of N4,874,889,425.60 against the state governor. Approximately N1.5bn has been paid, leaving a balance of N3.5bn.
Makinde emphasized that his administration would not yield to pressure to release state funds to the wrong recipients until all legal avenues are exhausted. He justified the 2019 dismissal of the former council chairmen, stating that their elections were unconstitutional. Additionally, Makinde labelled the recent Federal High Court ruling in Abuja as an abuse of the court process.
“The ex-LG chairmen will not get a dime until the Supreme Court asks us to pay. I will not pay wrong people. This is a government that is based on the constitution,” Makinde stated.
Responding to allegations of converting Agodi forest into a housing estate, Makinde dismissed the concerns, stating that those opposing the move were ill-advised. He maintained that the decision would bring economic and security benefits to the state.
