Alao-Akala Advises Makinde To Postpone Oyo LG Poll
Former governor of Oyo state and Chairman, Elders Advisory Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo state chapter, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has advised Oyo state Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to postpone the conduct of local government election in the state.
The local council election has been scheduled to hold in the state in the third week of May, according to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission ((OYSIEC).
However, Alao-Akala, reacting to the Supreme Court judgment which, today, invalidated the sack of the former local council chairmen by the present administration, urged Governor Makinde to shift the council poll to a later date “in order to protect the sanctity of our evolving democracy.”
According to the former governor, now that the dust has finally settled on the legality or otherwise of the sack of the former elected local government chairmen, it is trite in law for Governor Makinde to see that there is a need to postpone the election.
“Going on with the local government election, as earlier scheduled, will throw the state into another round of legal gymnastics.
“My advise to him is to sit down with the OYSIEC officials, look in to the new development and do the needful which is to shift the election date.
“Fortunately, the OYSIEC chairman is a learned fellow. He knows what the law says as regards disenfranchisement. He knows what the constitution say about holding elections and he knows the consequences of holding a one sided election.
“Apart from that, both the governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde and the OYSIEC chairman have a name to protect now and in the future of the development of our democracy in Nigeria.
This is an opportunity for Engineer Seyi Makinde to correct his past mistakes. He should not commit another blunder by going on with that election which I am 100 per cent certain will be faulted again by the constitution, the electoral act and the judiciary,” he said.
Alao-Akala commended the Supreme Court judgement “for guiding against the unguarded disregard on the sanctity of the constitution.”
He urged the judicial arm of government to find possible means of fast-tracking time-bound litigations that can disenfranchise litigants of their legal rights as is the case of Oyo State ALGON where the final judgment is delivered few days to the official end of the tenure of office of the litigants.
