>
The Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria(ALGON) in Oyo State and Chairman of Oluyole local government area, Prince Ayodeji Abass- Aleshinloye, has raised alarm over alleged threat to his life, following the assumption of office by Chairmen across the local governments and local council development areas in the State.
The ALGON Chairman states this shortly after resuming in office at the council secretariat
According to him, some people believed to be members of the opposition had called his telephone line threatening that they would foment trouble across the council areas and deal with him over his role in the ongoing effort to ensure the will of the people who voted local council officials into office prevailed.
He said: “They specifically called my line and issued the threat. They have also unleashed mayhem on some of my people injuring some of them in the process.
“Information available to us also indicates that some elements are planning to create crisis in some of the council areas in the state. Their intention is to forcefully wrest control of the LG from our members. These elements are believed to be supporters of the illegal caretaker chairmen foisted on the State by Governor Seyi Makinde . We are all aware that the contraption called caretaker chairmen have been declared illegal by the Supreme Court and our Constitution. The Attorney General of the Federation who is the Chief Law Officer of the Country has explained this further in the lettter written to the Oyo State Attorney General. It would therefore be inadvisable for this elements to continue in their nefarious plan.”
Abass-Aleshinloye enjoined the police to be up and doing and nip the plan in the bud.
“We do not want this State to again descend into lawlessness which was the pre-2011 situation. We have always enjoyed peace in the State in the last eight years when the last administration held sway. We should therefore not do anything to truncate this peaceful atmosphere,” the ALGON boss said.
He also called on Governor Makinde to rein in some of his people who have sworn to cause mayhem, saying: “We are peace loving people, we do not expect anyone to create crisis in the State again as this does not pay. It would be unfortunate if a State of Emergency is declared. We should avoid such situation by all means.”
According to him, more than half of the chairmen have resumed in their various offices while hopefully the rest would resume by tomorrow when the little pockets of resistance are resolved
Abass-Aleshinloye stated that one of the leaders of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxilliary was observed moving around some council areas with thugs in Ibadan wielding different weapons. He added that one of the “illegal chairmen, Seun Ojo in Ogo Oluwa was observed with armed thugs parading the streets of the local government headquarters, vowing to deal with anyone that stands in his way.”