The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has said that former local government chairmen sacked in 2019 are distracting his government.
Recall that the former council bosses were elected during the administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in 2018.
However, Makinde sacked them in 2019.
The aggrieved erstwhile chairmen had secured a court judgement that gave an order that accounts of the state be frozen in ten commercial banks.
The former council chairmen went to court owing to Makinde’s non-payment of their entitlements.
Speaking on the situation, the governor stated that the sacked chairmen have been using all methods to distract his government.
Makinde warned that his government would not bow to pressure to pay the state’s money into the wrong hands until all legal means were exhausted.
He added that the council bosses will not be paid until the Supreme Court asks him to pay them.
He said, “I could have worked with anybody but because they did something that was not in line with the Constitution, we decided that they had to go.
“That was not the first time. It may look like I took that decision in line with things that happened in the past. No, I took the decision solely because I felt we could not build a foundation on unconstitutionality.
“In 2007, Governors Alao-Akala and Ladoja were in the same party and were fighting within the party. As soon as the late Alao-Akala got in there, he dissolved the LG chairmen and put his people in charge. In 2011, the same thing happened when Governor Abiola Ajimobi got there. He dissolved them.
“Those people that were dissolved in 2007 and 2011, this administration is still paying their entitlements. When it got to 2019, they went to court, the case was dismissed and they were forum-shopping, going to different courts until they got to the FCT High Court.
“I was going to go after them and somebody in my legal team came and said it was an abuse of court process. The FCT High Court is in its own jurisdiction as the Oyo State High Court that dismissed this case in the first instance. On that singular act, I was distracted, and I don’t easily get distracted.
“But I have news for them; they will not get a dime till the Supreme Court asks us to pay. I will not pay the wrong people. I still held a meeting yesterday with the team. It is nothing to worry about. This is a government that is based on the Constitution.”
