The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has cautioned chairmen and career officers of the 33 local government areas in the state to distance themselves from any attempt to subvert the Supreme Court judgement, which recently granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government.
According to the party, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Olawale Sadare, local government chairmen risk jail should they be party to any act to subvert the Supreme Court verdict.
The party’s reaction comes in the wake of the recent resolve of the local government chairmen in Oyo State to form their new umbrella association following the Supreme Court judgement while declaring their allegiance to the state governor, Seyi Makinde.
The Oyo APC, in the statement, took a swipe at the stance of Governor Seyi Makinde on the Supreme Court judgement, just as it held that the latest resolve of the local government chairmen was tantamount to a lack of respect for constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
The statement read: “Governor Makinde has emerged as 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 that would enable him to maintain the status quo as it concerns the joint account arrangement between states and local government councils.
“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.
“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’s handouts and allocations to pilot the affairs of his state.
“On the final note, the reported withdrawal of the imposed 33 council chairmen from ALGON is just a smokescreen, as we are aware of a script already handed to them by their principal.
“There is absolutely nothing Governor Makinde can do to make him the recipient of the allocations due to 33 LGAs again, and any chairman or career officer who compromises the provision of the law on account of blind loyalty or unfounded fear would pay for it.”
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
