ALGON tackles Oyo governor for dissolving electoral commission

The Association of Local Government of Nigeria ( ALGON), Oyo state chapter, has condemned the dissolution of the State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) by the administration of Seyi Makinde, the governor.

In a statement by Abass Aleshinloye, its chairman, ALGON said the dissolution is illegal, unconstitutional and arbitrary, arguing that the commission has a statutory five-year tenure which ends in 2021.

According to Aleshinloye, the action of Makinde is yet another “faulty and illegal step in the series of lawlessness and executive rascality the government of Oyo state is now known for.”

He described the governor’s statement that all the entitlement due to the members of the dissolved commission would be paid in order to absolve the state of any liability as “humiliating”.

“We have become an endangered state with Governor Seyi Makinde’s unending assault on all that is legal and constitutional. We woke up to the announcement of the illegal and reckless act of dissolution of the statutory commissions in Oyo state this week by the Governor,” he said.

“In his ill-conceived attempt to avoid the self-inflicted liability occasioned by his lawless act, he made a promise of ‘Naira rain’ to members of the illegally dissolved commissions as a ‘compensation’ to members of the bodies. Not only is this laughable, humiliating of the distinguished members  of these commissions who he has presented as if they are hungry for gain rather than to serve, it is also embarrassing  and smacks of poor administrative judgement and disregard for all that is hallowed in any sane clime.”

The ALGON chairman advised the governor against the planned monetization as, “illegalities cannot be monetized and commercialized”, adding that  monetization  of lawlessness does not cure its illegality.

He described the action as corruption in its basest form, “morally reprehensible, unconstitutional and cannot stand the test of law.

Aleshinloye queried the governor’s managerial skill, saying he would be incapable of demanding prudence and probity from workers if he lays bad examples.

He called on ALGON members, secretaries, councillors and supervisors to  ignore the directive to a  committee set up earlier to probe the accounts of elected local government administration by the governor.

Aleshinloye described the committee as another illegality that is  unknown to the Nigerian constitution and an affront on subsisting court judgement.