OYO ACCORD FAULTS OYO STATE GOVERNMENT ON THE USE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT CARETAKER CHAIRMEN

The OYO State chapter of ACCORD has described as unacceptable the reasons adduced by the OYO State government for not conducting local government election and their continuous usage of caretaker chairmen to run the affairs of the 33 Local Government Councils in the state. In a statement issued and signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the Party, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, the party described as flimsy the excuse that litigation between the dissolved members of OYSIEC and the State government was responsible. The issue in question has nothing to do with the conduct of the local government election but rather on the payment of entitlements and emoluments of the aggrieved members of the State Independent Electoral Commission which the Ajimobi led administration deliberately refused and delayed to use it as an excuse for its illegal and unconstitutional act. The Party also faulted in its entirety the statement credited to Mr. Yomi Layinka citing Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to justify the illegal act of the State government.

Dr. Adeniran pointed out that the Section 7(1) of the Constitution only guarantee the existence of democratically elected local government and there is no place in the constitution where provision is made for caretaker committee to run the councils. The power granted to the State to legislate on the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of the local councils is not in any way an absolute power of arbitrariness. This is because there is an inbuilt mechanism in the constitution which prevents such illegality where in Section 1(3) of the constitution, it is clearly stated that " if any other law is inconsistent with the provision of this constitution, this constitution shall prevail and that other law shall to the extent of its consistency be void". Dr. Adeniran concluded that the action of the present state Governor to continue using his cronies as caretaker chairmen and committees to run the third tier of government for almost five years is an aberration which is illegal, unconstitutional, ludicrous, undemocratic and highly unacceptable Dr. Adeniran further advised the State Government to learn to be responsive and responsible and listen to the yearnings and aspirations of the good people of OYO State. DR. NURENI ADEREMI ADENIRAN: STATE PUBLICITY SECRETARY, ACCORD OYO STATE.