Local Government Chairmen and Councillors who were asked to vacate their respective offices last year by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, have kicked against a move by Makinde to pay them off.
The Chairmen and Councilors who were elected during the May 12th 2018 Local Government election described the move by Makinde to pay them off all their salaries and other entitlements as unacceptable.
DAILY POST gathered that the embattled Chairmen and Councillors are members of the then ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and were elected during the administration of the immediate past Governor, Mr. Abiola Ajimobi.
Makinde who won the March 9th gubernatorial election shortly after his inauguration on May 29th 2019, however sacked the council Chairmen and Councillors.
Since then, both the council bosses and the Oyo state government under Makinde have been at loggerheads over who controls local government areas in the state.
The embattled Chairmen and Councillors approached the Courts urging it to declare their sack illegal.
The state government in its own move to justify the sack also approached the Court saying it has the right to sack them. The state government however, recently agreed to pay the Council bosses their salaries and other entitlements.
But, the embattled Chairmen and Councillors who belong to the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), have condemned the suggestion by Makinde to pay them off.
They described the idea as antithetical to the war against corruption.
ALGON, through its lawyer, Kunle Sobaloju, in a letter written to the Counsel to the State Government, Mr Akin Onigbinde, said the suggestion is a disservice to the people of their local government and Oyo State to collect financial compensation in lieu of their constitutionally guaranteed tenure.
ALGON in the letter, a copy of which was made available to DAILY POST on Monday reads, “We refer to your letter dated 20th February, 2020 and have brought the contents of the said letter to the notice of our client which they have considered, and by this letter, we wish to communicate their response to you.
“We have our clients’ instruction to express their appreciation to his Excellency for recognizing and acknowledging our clients’ mandate as the democratically elected Chairmen and Councilors of the 33 Local Government Councils and 35 LCDAs in Oyo State by offering to pay them their salaries and allowances due.
“However, our clients consider it a disservice to the people of their respective Local Government Areas and the entire people of Oyo State to collect financial compensation as proposed by you in lieu of their constitutionally guaranteed election tenure.
“Our Clients are equally of the view that accepting financial compensation by way of your calculated salary and severance allowance would amount to aiding the breach of the constitution and may also lead to violation of anti-corruption laws by collecting salaries and allowances for a futuristic job tenure yet to be lived out.
“We therefore have our clients’ instruction to inform you that the financial payoff proposed is unacceptable to them.
“We appreciate your efforts towards the amicable settlement of issues between the parties and convey our professional regards of the highest esteem.”
