Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has defended his recent inauguration of Caretaker Committees in the 33 Local Governments and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
Makinde defended his action in a statement signed by Mr Taiwo Adisa, his Chief Press Secretary, on Friday in Ibadan.
The governor’s reaction followed an allegation by the former council chairmen in the state under the aegis of the Association of Local Governments (ALGON) that he disobeyed a court by inaugurating the committees.
It would be recalled that the 33 council chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on May 6, 2019, got a court injunction restraining the state government and its agents from sacking them.
However, the Makinde-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration after its inauguration on May 29, 2019, dissolved the local governments, citing illegality in the council election that brought in the chairmen.
According to Makinde in the statement, his action did not amount to a violation of any court order by the state government.
The statement, however, challenged ALGON to seek redress in the law court if it felt aggrieved.
It said: “As far as the administration is concerned, the illegal ALGON has gone to the winds because it has been dissolved right away and that is the treatment that it deserves.
“So, there is no violation of any court order by the government of the day in constituting the councils as they are presently put in place, it said.
It further said the matter ALGON took to court “looks like a slap on the face of the judiciary because the election that brought the chairmen into the office was conducted in contravention of a court order.”
“The issue of local government is something that should be carefully looked at and that was why it took Gov. Makinde six months to closely look at the runnings of local government in the state properly.
“Concerning the sacked local government chairmen, the government has looked at every aspect of the case they claimed to be in court.
“There is no restraining order on the government of Oyo State to run the local government, despite the fact that there is a case pending in court.
“A case that is pending in court will be determined by the court one day and whatever the court says the government will contend with and follow the dictates of the court,” it added.
