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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Akin Oke, has called for the postponement of the local government election in the state slated for Saturday May 22, 2021.
He made the call when he addressed journalists in Ibadan on Saturday at a press conference organised by the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).
Oke explained that the postponement was to allow the APC participate in the election, adding that the party decided not to be part of the election process initially based on the Supreme Court judgment that the party expected on the sack of all council chairmen by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019.
The Supreme Court had however delivered its verdict on Friday and faulted the sack of the Chairman. The apex court then held that the tenure of the sacked council chairmen, elected in 2018 had expired, and ordered the state government to pay all salaries and allowances of the sacked chairmen from May 2019 to March 2022, apart from awarding a cost of N20million against the government as damages.
His words: “We could not be part of the preparation for that election at the initial stage because we felt the dissolution of democratically elected chairmen and councillors was illegal. Now that we have been vindicated, it is thus right for the government to give a level playing field in order for us to test our popularity.”
Earlier in his address, the former ALGON chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, who was a former chairman of Oluyole Local Government, expressed appreciation to all those who contributed to the victory at the apex court, and he dedicated the victory to the immediate past two-term governor of the state, the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who was instrumental to the victory based on the support he gave
His words: “He was the driving force who advised that we should not cause problem in the State, but to follow the rule of law by going to court.”
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Abass-Aleshinloye stated that the 33 chairmen of the local government areas and 35 chairmen of the local council development area (LCDA) fought the battle and won not because they wanted to return to office, but to deepen democracy in Nigeria and set precedent for council chairmen that a sitting governor cannot just wake up one day and decide to sack them.
Meanwhile, a former governor of Oyo State and Chairman, Elders Advisory Council of APC in the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has advised the state governor, E
Seyi Makinde, to postpone the forthcoming local government election a later date in order to protect the sanctity of the country’s evolving democracy.
He gave the advice while reacting to the Supreme Court judgement that invalidated the sack of the elected council chairmen in the state.
According to him, “Going on with the local Government election as earlier scheduled will throw the state into another round of legal gymnastics. My advice to him is to sit down with the OYSIEC officials, look in to the new development and do the needful which is to shift the election date.
“Fortunately, the Oyo state Independent electoral Commission chairman is a Learned fellow. He knows what the law says as regards disenfranchisement, he knows what the constitution says about holding elections and he knows the consequences of holding a one-sided election.
“Apart from that, both Governor Seyi Makinde and the OYSIEC chairman have a name to protect now and in the future of the development of our democracy in Nigeria.
“This is an opportunity for Governor Seyi Makinde to correct his past mistakes. He should not commit another blunder by going on with that election which I am hundred per cent certain will be faulted again by the constitution, the electoral act and the judiciary.”
