A few hours after they were sacked as local government chairmen in Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde, the affected council bosses on Thursday vowed to remain in office.
Led by the chairman of Oluyole Local Government Area, Ayodeji Abass-Alesinloye , the chairmen in their address titled: “Public statement on the purported dissolution of democratically elected local government in Oyo Sstate by Governor Seyi Makinde,” the chairmen, through the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, described their sack as undemocratic and illegal.
Abass-Alesinloye, who read the statement on behalf of his colleagues at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Office, Iyaganku Ibadan said, the military-like statement issued by the governor that all councils and the Local Council Development Authorities be dissolved with immediate effect amounted to “a familiar jackboot statement of the military era.”
Describing the statement as a sad throwback to “that better forgotten years of military dictatorship,” the chairmen added, “this is unexpected and quite unfortunate in a democracy. The statement came out less than 12 hours after Governor Makinde was sworn-in.”
They therefore vowed to remain in office.
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The governor had, through his Chief of Staff, Bisi Ilaka, directed that “all local government authorities and Local Council Development Authorities be dissolved with immediate effect.”
He asked the chairmen to hand over to their Heads of Local Government Administration or the most senior directors in their local government areas and councils.
While placing embargo on all local and state government accounts until further directives, Makinde also directed that all boards of parastatals and corporations be dissolved with immediate effect.