The Supreme Court on Friday declared the dissolution of local government administrations in Oyo State and their replacement with caretaker committees as illegal.
In a ruling on Friday, the Apex court said the replacement of the council chairman with caretaker committees is unlawful.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment by a five-man panel of Justices, held that Makinde acted beyond his powers, when on his assumption of office on May 29, 2019.
The Apex court, in its lead verdict that was read by Justice Ejembi Eko, noted that Makinde took the action despite a subsisting court order.
It held that the Governor acted “invidiously and in contemptuous disregard of a High Court judgement”, when he dissolved the democratically elected Chairmen and Councillors, and appointed Caretaker Committees in their stead.
Other Justices that concurred with the lead judgment the Supreme Court delivered during a virtual session it held on Friday, were Justices, Inyang Okoro, Kekere Ekun, Adamu Jauro and Ibrahim Saulawa.
The former Chairmen were sacked in May 2019 by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state.
They were elected in 2018 during the administration of the immediate past Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
The action of Makinde was met with widespread criticism, mainly from the Oyo State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
The ALGON had described the development as “unconstitutionally unwise, unexpected and too hasty for a new government that is yet to find its feet.”
Also, Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), had subsequently declared Makinde’s action unconstitutional.
However, the state government, despite the intervention of Malami, secured an injunction that restrained the embattled council bosses from the forceful takeover of the council secretariats.
