Oyo LG: I’ll Obey S/Court Ruling But…-Makinde
Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has described as falsehood a media report that his administration would not comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling about paying the ousted local government chairmen in the state.
He said the report did not represent the views of his administration, adding that the government would need further clarification regarding the number of the former council chairmen’s that should be paid salaries.
Makinde said this while delivering a keynote address at the 2021 Governor ‘Seyi Makinde National Democracy Summit themed: ‘The Future of Democracy in Nigeria’, at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan.
He noted that the 68 chairmen who went to court are not recognised under the law, because the number of local government areas belonging to the state, as listed in the Nigerian Constitution, are 33.
Makinde, therefore, said the former council chairmen may need to approach the Supreme Court again to determine which of them should be paid.
Makinde said: “Let me use this opportunity to talk about a report that I read in a newspaper, saying that the Oyo State Government would not obey the court order about paying the ousted local government chairmen.
“This is a false report and it is not representative of the views of our administration. Of course, I discussed with the Honourable Attorney General and he asked me not to worry because we have to file affidavit of compliance before the Supreme Court.
“So, what I said was that we need further clarification regarding who should be paid salaries. The 68 persons who went to court are not recognised under the law, because the number of local government areas belonging to Oyo State is in the constitution of the country and they are listed as 33.
“When we go for JAC, they only pay us the money for the 33 local government areas. So, I believe, at the end, when they file the affidavit of compliance, the Supreme Court needs to clarify whether its decision is restricted to paying only the 33, which I will promptly pay.
“Of course, this is the beauty of democracy; the ability to have civil conversations over even the thorniest issues, without fear. The right to protest injustice, without fear of being thrown into jail. The right to free speech. True democracy guarantees these rights while the citizens also have responsibilities.”
He therefore declared that once the Supreme Court makes clarification on paying only the 33 sacked chairmen, “I will promptly pay.”
