Two years after Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde sacked all the local government chairpersons in the state and appointed caretaker chairmen, the Supreme court, Friday declared the dissolution of the local government councils as illegal.
The apex court in its ruling on today also declared the replacement of the council chairman with caretaker committees as unlawful.
Reacting to the ruling, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare hailed the judgment, saying that the judgement was a landmark achievement in the present government’s hard work to deepen democracy at the grassroots.
Mr. Dare in his immediate response to the judgment, noted that with the “ unsparing , unequivocal and unambiguous’’ judgment by the highest court in the land, it has now become crystal clear that no state government has the power to sack any elected council chairman or councilor, as correctly envisioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dare commended the gallantry of the local government chairmen under the leadership of Prince Abass Ayodeji Alesinloye, stressing that their steadfastness and doggedness eventually paid off not only for themselves but for democracy as an institution at the grassroots. The minister also praised their legal team led by Chief Niyi Akintola for a thorough and painstaking legal battle fought almost gratis for the sake of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the cause of democracy.
Mr. Dare did not forget the immediate past Governor of the state, late Senator Abiola Ajimobi who he commended for his role in ensuring that due diligence was appropriately done in the conduct of the local government election and the profound leadership given to the local government executives in the institution and pursuit of the case until his death.
The minister said that he was particularly elated that ‘’ our party, the All Progressives Congress under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Caretaker Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni and the Oyo State Caretaker Chairman, Chief Akin Oke was able to finally lay this issue bothering mainly on tyranny of power by state governors to rest. While congratulating the gallant chairmen and councilors, Mr. Dare urged them to remain totally committed and loyal to the party in order to collectively win back Oyo State for APC.
