Oyo APC Warns LG Chairs, Career Officers Against Alleged Anti-Autonomy Stance

Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned the chairmen and career officers in all the state’s 33 local government areas to distance themselves from subverting the verdict of the Supreme Court which recently granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government in the country.

APC warned the chairmen to step back from what it described as “spirited efforts by Governor Seyi Makinde to subvert the verdict of the Supreme Court,” warning that toeing the line of the governor might land them in jail sooner than later.

In a statement issued on Monday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC accused Governor Makinde of covetousness and lack of respect for constitutional democracy and the rule of law.

The state’s main opposition party also accused Governor Makinde of nursing an “inordinate ambition to make Oyo State a separate republic from Nigeria with a view to making himself a demi-god that would be worshipped by all and sundry.”

Sadare said, “Gov. Makinde has emerged the lone voice among the 36 state governors condemning the Apex Court’s verdict as he was quoted to have described the development as a distraction while he also inaugurated a special committee to review the judgement and mandated members of the committee to come up with recommendations which would enable him maintain the status quo as it concerns the joint account arrangement between states and local government councils.

“The whole world did not realise the magnitude of damage done to the third tier of government in Oyo State in the last 62 months until Gov. Makinde came out openly to castigate both the federal government and the Judiciary on the issue of financial autonomy.

“The governor has been fighting tooth and nail to promote unpopular call for a reversal of the verdict which has been described, by most people, as a victory for the masses.

“Unfortunately for Gov. Makinde, his recent actions have confirmed the allegations bothering on the embezzlement of council funds being leveled against him by our Party (APC) and others.”

The APC spokesman added, “It is now crystal clear that the PDP governor had mapped out an 8-year plan aimed at looting LGA funds but got his dream truncated by the celebrated verdict of the Supreme Court.”

For the avoidance of doubt, Sadara stressed that the decision of the Apex Court remains sacrosanct even if the Oyo State governor refused to agree to it.

He reminded that Oyo State is a fraction of the nation called Nigeria, adding that it was wrong for a governor to claim ‘sovereignty’ when he depends on the federal government handouts and allocations to pilot the affairs of his state.

Speaking on the recent withdrawal of the local government chairmen in the state from the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), the APC described the move as a mere smokescreen “as we are aware of a script already handed to them by their principal. “

He assured that, “There is absolutely nothing Gov. Makinde can do to make him the recipient of the allocations due to 33 LGAs again and any chairman or career officer who compromise the provision of the law on account of blind loyalty or unfounded fear would pay for it as efforts are also in top gear to make the governor and other accomplices account for the trillions of naira already mismanaged at the expense of the LGAs,” Sadare concluded.

LEADERSHIP earlier reported that the chairpersons across the 33 LGAs in Oyo State had in a communique they all signed as released to newsmen by the state’s ALGON Public Relation Officer, Ibrahim Akintayo, unanimously announced their withdrawal from the association while also declaring their unalloyed support for Governor Makinde.

They described their stand as solidarity with Makinde’s recent position on the Supreme Court’s judgement enforcing financial autonomy for local governments.