After sighting the letter written by Attorney General of the Federation to the Government of Oyo State, the outgone Local Governments Execuives arbitrarily imposed by the previous Regime of Sen. Abiola Ajimobi started dancing the macabre without understanding the content of the said letter out of willful cum sheer ignorance.
Their understanding of the letter is lame, fraudulent and inconsequential. Abubakar Malami never said Gov. Seyi Makinde should reinstate the illegal cum outgone Chairmen, rather, the Govenor is advised to conduct an election to uphold the provisions of Section 7 (1) of 1999 Constitution as amended.
When Gov. Seyi Makinde took over as Governor of Oyo State, he never met Local Government Executives that were recognized by the provision of Nigerian Constitution as quoted by the Attorney General of the Federation, at this point, let us do a critical analysis of the Constitutional provisions to ascertain the nature of illegality existing hitherto.
In the eye of Nigeria Constitution, Governor Seyi Makinde didn’t meet a democratically elected Local Government Executives as required by Section 7 (1). Section 3 (6) of the Constitution unambiguously said that there are 768 Local Government and 6 Area Councils in Nigeria. Crystallizing what was writing in Section 7(1) and Section 3 (6), the Part 1 of the First Schedule of 1999 Constitution as amended listed the number of States in Nigeria and the Local Government therein.
According to above provisions of the constitution, only 33 Local Governments in Oyo State were accorded the power to Exercise the Functions of Local Governments stated in the Fourth Schedule of Nigeria Constitution, conducting election to anything more than 33 Local Governments to exercise the constitutional functions of the Fourth Schedule is an affront to the constitution and the process becomes totally illegal, there is no way legality could be built on illegality. This support the fact that Governor Seyi Makinde didn’t meet a democratically elected Local Government officials as requested by the Section 7(1); ascertained by Section 3 (6); enumerated by First Schedule and empowered by Fourth Schedule of 1999 Constitution as amended.
If few aggrieved cum outgone Chairmen think the letter was to their favour, that shows how lack of access to Public fund could make someone to be wandering in a realm of somnabulism, their pot of soup was abruptly broken and they are moving directionless like a dog bitten by venomous snake. Although, few has heeded the wise counsel and accepted the noble decision placed before them by destiny.
At this juncture, to fulfil all righteousness as required by the Constitution, I will implore the Governor of Oyo State to assent to the request of Attorney General of the Federation as captured in his letter dated to 14th of January, 2020 and fix a date for the commencement of the era of “Local Government by democratically elected Local Government Councils”, not a Shakamanje orchestrated by the previous administration.
Ogunwoye Samson Gbemiga
MSc, Political Economy and Development Studies, University of Abuja.
ogunwoyesamson@gmail.com
