Sacked Oyo council chairmen petition Buhari on Governor Makinde

Sacked chairmen of Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Oyo State have reported Governor Seyi Makinde to President Muhammadu Buhari for removing them from office.

The chairmen, under the auspices of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), in a letter signed by their chairman, Mr. Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, and secretary, Mr. Olayinka Jesutoye, urged the president to call the Oyo governor to order, noting a subsisting court judgement that restrained any governor from sacking them.

Justice Aderonke Aderemi of the Oyo High Court had, on May 6, given an order restraining the governor from dissolving or suspending the 33 councils and 35 LCDAs in the state. It also restrained the governor from doing anything that would truncate the tenure of the claimants, except in accordance with the provisions of section 7 (1) of the federal constitution.

In their petition, the embattled council bosses asked the president to advise the governor to respect the will of the people of Oyo to have the councils run by elected chairmen and councillors.

They alleged persistent threats from the governor and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to forcefully take over the administration of the councils, a situation they said might lead to breakdown of law and order.

ALGON urged the president to wade into the matter and “ensure that the rule of law prevails before it degenerates into chaos” that would truncate the peace the state had been enjoying in the last eight years.