Association of Local Government of Nigeria ALGON Oyo State chapter has appeals to the executive governor, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to reconsider his illegal dissolution of popularly elected local councils in the state.
They base their appeal on the need for effective democratic governance at the grassroots which they say is vital to sustainable development of the country and states of the federation.
The group maintained that ALGON is ready to cooperate with the governor to get out of the unnecessary cobweb of politics of hate, illegality and lawlessness deliberately spun around him by some of his close aides and political associates for their own insidious covert self-interest.
‘ Now, that he has settled down in office, Gov. Makinde should avoid such self-centered individuals or groups, see himself above political intrigues and become a Stateman, a governor for all for the maximum benefit of our dear state”
According to a statement signed by the state chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass Aleshinloye, “Our call for reinstatement becomes more germane now in view of the new commendable wave of reconciliation and mutual understanding for peace, democracy and development in the country as exemplified by governors of sister states like Ogun, Ekiti and Kwara states who also initially dissolved local government structures but have now recalled them to continue in office.”
“ Even, governors from opposition parties have also recalled elected local government chairmen and councilors because they also realized that there were subsisting Supreme Court judgements against dissolution of local government, as a constitutionally recognized tier of government, by state governors or the state parliament.”
The statement reads further that “Oyo state cannot be an island of disrepute and illegality in the comity of States in Nigeria. We are more than this. The Oyo State Governor should toe the line of the rule of law like his peers and reconsider his stand. This is the path of honour, statemanship and maturity for the sake of grassroots development in the pacesetter state.”
“The governor and his administration will be better for it since a democratic local government administration will fully complement some of the implementation of his programnes targetted at the grassroots. A state is incomplete without democratically elected government in place.”
“No matter the good intention of the governor, he should note that without the complementary support and role of the local government administrators, such good intention may never be transformed into gainful reality that will benefit the poor people at the local level because of the forced absence of elected local structures. If the governor has done a thorough cost – benefit feedback evaluation, he should have realised this.”
“We acknowledge our people’s pains due to the worsening conditions of living at the grassroots, from the loads of complaints we continue to receive everyday via several telephone calls and at community meetings with several layers of the people who are feeling the absence of their elected local government structures they were used to and related with as succor. ALGON appeals to our people for calm with the hope that this cup shall pass soonest.”
