The 33 council chairmen in Oyo State have pulled out of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) over the Supreme Court’s judgment granting fiscal autonomy to local governments across the country.
In a communiqué, the chairmen unanimously declared their support for Governor Seyi Makinde.
The state ALGON’s Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Akintayo, described the chairmen’s stance as solidarity with Governor Makinde’s recent stand on local government autonomy as ruled by the apex court.
They attributed their loyalty to Makinde for his exemplary leadership and unrivaled achievements since his assumption of office.
Recall that Governor Makinde, during a meeting with some stakeholders after the court ruling, constituted committees to review the apex court’s ruling on local government autonomy.
“I called this meeting because I felt that even though we have not seen the Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court, we have to be proactive and discuss the decision of the Supreme Court as it concerns the financial autonomy of the local government councils because I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we all swore to uphold.
The law is the law, and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to court. But it behooves us to look for our own home-grown solutions that can ensure we have transparency and that our people do not suffer. This is because when two elephants are fighting, it is the grass that will suffer,” the governor stated.
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