The All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Oyo State, has warned local government chairmen in the state not to allow Governor Seyi Makinde to push them to jail over steps being taken on the recent Supreme Court judgment.
The party made this declaration via a statement made available to Salient Times on Monday, signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, sequel to the Supreme Court judgment which granted financial autonomy to local government councils in the country.
The local government chairmen in the state had reportedly resolved to pull out of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, (ALGON), and form their own umbrella association in order to circumvent the implementation of the judgment.
According to Sadare, the APC warned chairmen and career officers in all the 33 local government councils across the state to distance themselves from an attempt by Gov. Makinde to subvert the verdict of the Supreme Court, noting that toeing the path of the governor might land them in jail sooner than later.
The party accused Makinde of covetousness and lack of respect for constitutional democracy and the rule of law, saying: “The whole world did not realize the magnitude of damage done to the third tier of government in Oyo State in the last 62 months until Governor 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 an 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 of embezzlement of council funds being levelled against him by our Party (APC) and others.
“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, the decision of the Apex Court remains sacrosanct even if he (Makinde) refused to agree to it.
“Meanwhile, Oyo state is a fraction of the nation called Nigeria and it is wrong for a governor to claim ‘sovereignty’ even as he depends on the federal government handouts and allocations to pilot the affairs of his state”, the party said
