THE Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, suspended the planned local government elections slated for February 11, following an injunction by a Federal High Court, Abuja, obtained by 15 village heads in Oyo town, last week.
This was disclosed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oyo State, Mr Seun Abimbola, while addressing journalists on Tuesday in company of the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Toye Arulogun, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Bimbo Kolade and the Special Adviser to the governor on communication and strategy, Mr Yomi Layinka.
The orders were made in Abuja on Friday, January 20, following a motion ex-parte filed in the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/16/2017 on behalf of 15 Baales from Oyo Federal Constituency by the lawyer, Ahmed Raji, SAN, pursuant to the creation of 35 local council development authorities (LCDAs) in the state.
Justice John Tsoho, ordered the Oyo State Independent Election Commission (OYSIEC) not to proceed with its plan to conduct local government election slated for February 11.
The judge also directed the Accountant General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Ministry of Finance, to withhold monthly allocation to the 33 local government councils in the state
The creation of the LCDAs by the state government last year was said to have tampered with the boundaries of the 33 existing local government areas recognised in the 1999 Constitution.
The 15 village heads in some communities, which were hitherto under Oyo Federal Constituency, got ceded to local government areas which fall within the boundary of Oyo North Senatorial district.
The four local government councils in Oyo Federal Constituency are now within Oyo Central Senatorial district.
The court also directed that monthly allocation to the 33 councils should be lodged in an interest-yielding account, to prevent the state government from using same to fund the LCDAs as prayed by the plaintiffs.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC was also restrained from supporting OYSIEC in the conduct of the election, through the release of voter register or any other material.
The Attorney-General explained that the state government had set up a petition and review committee, which was headed by him when the government received petitions and complains from some communities, that their land has been ceded or encroached upon by another communities with the creation of the LCDAs.
According to Abimbola “The peace loving governor after receiving all these petitions, set up the committee to look into it, and the different aggrieved parties, including the 15 village heads who appeared in person before the committee. But we were shocked when we learnt, that they have obtained a court injunction without waiting for the resolution of the committee.”
“We were served with the court injunction just yesterday (Monday), by the Federal High Court at our liaison office in Abuja.” he said
The Commissioner for Justice said, “As a law abiding government, the state government will abide with the court order and suspend the conduct of the election indefinitely, with a view that the order will be contested vigorously in the court.”
He urged the residents and the political parties in the state to remain calm and uphold peace in the state.
Similarly, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun dispelled the rumour making rounds that the state government was behind the court injunction.
He said, “The court order stopping the conduct of the election is not government orchestrated or induced. If the state government does not want to conduct election, he will not release funds for OYSIEC or set a date for the election”.
Also, Kolade said, the creation of the LCDAs has not been cancelled, noting that it was only the election into the council areas that has been suspended.
He said, the creation of the LCDA areas was at the request of the people of Oyo state and not just the idea of the state government.
The Commissioner promised that once the order has been vacated, the election will be conducted immediately.
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