Pandemonium as sacked council chairmen resume in Oyo

Across the States of federation, it has been from one haggle to another following the disquiet over new governors and their refusal to absorb local council chairmen elected under their predecessors’ administration.

Recently, shortly before the sack of former Governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, he sacked local council chairman on platform of Action Alliance purported to have been elected under Ethelbert Okorocha’s administration.

The former chairman had threatened to go back to the office, drawing powers from Supreme Court Judgment on Ekiti saga, re-installing sacked Chairman.

In the same vein, Council Chairmen on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) sacked by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Monday, make good their threat by resuming in their various offices within their local government secretariats.

Makinde, shortly after his inauguration May 2019, sacked the chairmen and asked them to hand over to the most senior career officer in their respective councils.

The council chairmen were elected on May 12, 2018, in local government election conducted by former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

The sacked chairmen however, at the weekend, threatened to resume on Monday after about eight months of legal battle with the state government.

Some of the sacked chairmen on Monday made good their threats by resuming.

Information gathered from all the 33 local government areas and 35 Local Council Development Areas in the state showed that majority of the chairmen were on seat.

However, there were pockets of violence in Ibadan South East and Ibadan North East councils where some hoodlums reportedly hijacked the situation.

There were sounds of gun shots at Ibadan South East, following an attempt by some thugs to prevent the sacked chairmen from gaining entrance into the council offices.

In most of the councils where the chairmen reportedly resumed office, the gates to the council secretariat and offices were forcefully opened to pave way for the chairmen and the councillors to gain access into the offices.

In Oluyole Local Government Area, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshiloye who is the chairman of ALGON , as well as the council chairman, resumed office and held a prayer session with some of his followers.

After the skirmishes in Ibadan South East Local Government Area, the chairman, Mr. Bimbo Omiyale and his followers resumed office.

Reports from Ibadan East Local Council Development Area, Ogbomoso Central Local Council Development Area, Iseyin Local Government Area, Itesiwaju Local Government Area and Ibarapa Central also indicated that the sacked chairmen resumed by forcing the door opened.

Abass-Aleshiloye , the Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), had insisted that he and his members were ready to cooperate with Makinde to move the state forward at the grassroots level.