Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has accused the former local government chairmen who were sacked in 2019 of causing distractions for his government.
The governor emphasized that these former chairmen have been employing various tactics to divert his government’s attention. It should be noted that these ex-council bosses were elected during Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration in 2018.
Makinde terminated their positions in 2019. The ex-council bosses had obtained a court ruling that directed the freezing of the state’s accounts in ten commercial banks.
They took legal action due to Makinde’s failure to compensate them.
In response, Makinde stated that his government will not succumb to pressure to allocate the state’s funds to the wrong individuals until all legal avenues have been exhausted.
He affirmed that the council bosses will only be paid if the Supreme Court orders him to do so.
Makinde, who spoke on Saturday, said: “I could have worked with anybody but because they did something that was not in line with the Constitution, we decided that they had to go.
“That was not the first time. It may look like I took that decision in line with things that happened in the past. No, I took the decision solely because I felt we could not build a foundation on unconstitutionality.
“In 2007, Governors Alao-Akala and Ladoja were in the same party and were fighting within the party. As soon as the late Alao-Akala got in there, he dissolved the LG chairmen and put his people in charge. In 2011, the same thing happened when Governor Abiola Ajimobi got there. He dissolved them.
“Those people that were dissolved in 2007 and 2011, this administration is still paying their entitlements. When it got to 2019, they went to court, the case was dismissed and they were forum-shopping, going to different courts until they got to the FCT High Court.
“I was going to go after them and somebody in my legal team came and said it was an abuse of court process. The FCT High Court is in its own jurisdiction as the Oyo State High Court that dismissed this case in the first instance. On that singular act, I was distracted, and I don’t easily get distracted.
“But I have news for them; they will not get a dime till the Supreme Court asks us to pay. I will not pay the wrong people. I still held a meeting yesterday with the team. It is nothing to worry about. This is a government that is based on the Constitution.”
