The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State chapter, has commended the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, for his giant stride in office especially for prompt payment of salaries in the state in his first 100 days in office.
In a statement signed on Friday by its Chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, ALGON however described the governor’s decision of conducting Local Government election in 33 local Councils in the state and not respecting court’s judgment as an act of mischief.
The statement reads: “ALGON Oyo State greets the Oyo State Governor, His Excellency, Gov. Seyi Makinde, as he marks his hundred days in office as the helmsman of the pacesetter state.
“We wish him well as he continues to stir the ship of leadership, and we sincerely pray that he will not wreck the ship by the acts of omission or commission as the ship sails for four years in this new water ‘omi tuntun’ administration.
“We equally pray that, like water, Mr. Governor’s tenure will be odourless and not lacking necessary policy and well thought out programmes, to deliver good governance to our people.
“The one hundred days experience in office must have revealed to the governor by now that governance is beyond rhetorics, imagination, creating aliases, media hype or deceptive branding because all these cannot provide the people with qualitative education, functional health services, good road network, security, peace and harmony, employment among others.
“Our advice is for His Excellency to be more forthcoming in the coming months with real, detailed and deliverable plans for the state. We urge him to be always factual on happenings instead of being spontaneous in acts, deeds and echoing hearsay on air.
“Like his predecessor, he should let facts, physical and structural developments in the nook and crannies of the state speak more for themselves and prove whether his “new water” is indeed fresh or recycled from the illicit past of his sponsors.
“We equally commend his continuation of payment of monthly salaries of civil servants, a feat he inherited from the immediate past administration. We counsel that no uncountable media propaganda and hypes can transform the state except by actual development which all can see. 100days of any administration is its season of maximum goodwill from the people. The listed 100 day achievements are largely, promises and futuristic claims,but which people winked at in the hope that promises will become realities and expectations will be made tangible. Mr Governor, It is time to roll up the sleeves”.
On Local Government Election, the embattled association said: “We listened to Mr Governor during his media chat to mark his 100 Days, when he said that he would set up Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) and conduct fresh local government elections in the first quarter of next year.
“ALGON views this illegal plan by the governor as utter act of reckless disobedience to courts and what the courts have consistently called “executive lawlessness” in the face of an extant judgement he remains in disobedience of.
“When a case is still in court, and there are direct declaratory pronouncements of a court of law that forbids and nullified the boastful chant being made by Mr Governor, it is not only mischievous, but outrightly illegal and sheer disregard to the constitution Mr Governor swore to uphold and defend to make such statements. Let Mr Governor,and other institutions that may choose to follow this illegal path be notified that any illegal appointments or elections proposed or planned or executed shall be struck down by our courts whose responsibility is to protect our constitutional rights and principles when those purportedly elected to do so fail us. It is preposterous that having admitted to have illegally terminated the tenure of OYSIEC members, our Governor still boasts of and broadcasts this illegality on air with sheer impunity. Such is the level the exalted office of Governor has been reduced to.
“ALGON wishes to reiterate that the governor has no constitional right to dissolve elected local government councils nor did he have the power to dissolve OYSIEC not to talk of him boasting to conduct fresh elections in the state while the tenure of elected chairmen remains.
“We reject any further illegal acts from the office of the governor to circumvent the law, ambush the court, and abuse the constitutional oath while our House of Assembly looks the other way.
“If the governor is sensing judicial defeat in the government after-thought appeal, rather than resort to panicky ambush of the judgement,He should be calm as the eventual return of elected local government chairmen and councilors will not diminish the status of Mr Governor. In fact, it will enhance his status as an elected governor presiding over a state with democratically elected local governments. A lie that persists 20years, will still come to an end eventually.
The next 100 days are almost here.
