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The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in Oyo State has urged all elected chairmen, councilors, media and citizens to ignore the Oyo State House of Assembly over its resolution that all the sacked chairmen and councilors should return all properties of the state government in their hands, following Wednesday’s Appeal Court judgement.
Recall that the Oyo State House of Assembly had on Thursday, in a matter of urgent public importance brought before the House by the Majority Leader, Mr Sanjo Adedoyin, asked all the sacked chairmen of the 33 local governments and 35 local council development areas in the state to return all government property in their custody to their respective councils. The House said the call became imperative in order to ensure accountability and continuity of governance in all the local governments and local council development areas in the state.
The lawmakers urged the Oyo State Commissioner of Police and other security agencies in the state to intervene and ensure all government property, movable or unmovable, allegedly taken away by the embattled chairmen, are returned to the various councils.
But ALGON in a statement on Sunday by its chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, said it considered the “mischievous resolution as a product of dullards instinct, legislative rascality and a deliberate misinterpretation of a simple judgment written in simple English language.”
Abass-Aleshinloye described it as another step by the government in its serial anarchism to impose dictatorship and culture of violence on the state since the case started over a year ago.
The statement read in part: “It has come to the notice of ALGON, Oyo State, that the House of Assembly passed a resolution recently directing all democratically elected Chairmen and Councilors in the state to hand over all properties of Oyo State Government in their legitimate care.
“This ridiculous resolution was passed purportedly acting on the July 15, 2020 Judgement of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division in a Suit CA/IB/300 BASHORORUN MAJEED AJUWON & ORS. V. GOVERNOR OF OYO STATE & ORS.
“Appeal Court never upheld the illegal dissolution of democratically elected local government by the state governor.
It only allowed the appeal by the state government to challenge the High Court judgement we procured ever before Gov. Makinde became governor and not our mandate because it was never a subject of appeal in the first instance.
“The judgement had nothing to do with our elections or legalise the unlawful removal by the governor. The court only said that the perpetual injunction /judgement we procured after our election on May 6th, 2019. was speculative, hence it allowed the appeal of the state to challenge the judgement and not our May 2018 election and mandate which were never speculative.
“In anyway, Appeal Court couldn’t have run contrary to the Supreme Court precedent judgement which clearly declared as illegal, null and void dissolution of elected local government by any governor or state assembly in Nigeria (as reaffirmed in Governor Fayemi & Ors V. Olubunmo & 13 Others)
“We hereby enjoin all elected chairmen councilors, the media and citizens to ignore the repugnant and contemptuous resolution and never join the assembly in its self imposed parliamentary confusion sauced with lies. “