Political party slams Makinde over alleged plans to impose caretaker on LGA/LCDA in Oyo

The alleged plans by the Governor Seyi Makinde-led Oyo State government to impose a new set of caretaker chairmen and sole administrators on the 33 Local Government Areas and 35 Local Council Development Areas in the state respectively, has been described as undemocratic and unconstitutional.

According to the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) Oyo State chapter, the attempt will not only be tantamount to a replacement of illegality with impunity, but it will also mean continuation of illegality by the Seyi Makinde-led government.

While demanding the immediate conduct of free, fair, transparent and democratically-organised elections into the 33 Local Councils recognised by the constitution, the SPN in a release signed by its State Secretary, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun, also demanded full independence and autonomy for local governments including direct control of their funds and federal allocations without any undue interference by the State government through State and Local Government Joint Accounts or any other fraudulent device.

The party further suggested that, “Local governments to be accountable to the people through elected committees comprising Local government workers and residents which must have the power to regularly check the books of the council and in the case of corruption, non-performance and other infractions, campaign for the recall of indicted councilors and chairmen.”

It will be recalled that within the first 100days into the Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government dissolved all the chairmen elected into the 33 LGA and 35 LCDA in the local government election conducted under the APC/Ajimobi-led government.

The party said its action was because the election that brought the sacked LGA and LCDA chairmen into office was illegal in the sense that the election was conducted on the basis of electoral wards and local government areas that are not recognised by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While we of the SPN acknowledged the fact that the election that brought the sacked chairmen to the office was illegal and characterised with a lot of manipulation and malpractices, however, we faulted the way and manner the governor was so hasty and desperate with the unilateral decision that led to the dissolution of both the LGA and LCDA chairmen without a recourse to the procedure stipulated by the constitution.

“Unfortunately, in less than three months after the sack of the 33 LGA and 35 LCDA chairmen, the same Governor Seyi Makinde-led government which claimed that the decision to sack the LGA and LCDA chairmen was to end the illegality foisted on the Oyo State people following the May 12, 2018 farce called local government election conducted by the Ajimobi/APC led government is now planning to replace the sacked LGA and LCDA chairmen with new set of unelected caretaker chairmen.”

The SPN said the planned action n of the government is itself illegal as it represents an infraction of the necessary provisions of the constitution.