Our legal pursuit was for rule of law not just to receive money ― Former Oyo LG Chairmen

Smarting from their victory at the Supreme Court, the former Local Government Chairmen in Oyo state have said contrary to notions that the legal battle was just to receive money, their pursuit was in the interest of the rule of law and laying judicial precedence.

Leader of the former Chairmen under the aegis of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State, Mr Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye stated this during a ‘Thank you visit’ to legal luminary, Chief Niyi Akintola at his Agodi residence, Ibadan, on Tuesday.

Addressing the argument of the Oyo state government that the Supreme court only affirmed what it had offered the former Chairmen, Abass-Aleshinloye held that accepting such money offered then would have amounted to encouraging corruption.

He described the Governor Seyi Makinde government offering to pay them for work not yet done, at that time, as unjustifiable and disservice to the people at the grassroots who elected them to work.

He questioned the basis for the sack in the first instance and subsequent offer to pay them for job undone as an attempt to give legitimacy to an illegitimate act of sacking them.

Abass-Aleshinloye however expressed gladness that the former Chairmen were now to receive what is due to them as ruled by the Supreme Court.

Abass-Aleshinloye said: “How can you give me money for the work I didn’t do and I have not done. Governor Seyi Makinde wanted to pay us last year when we had not done the work. That is not legal and at the end of the day, it is all about corruption.

“If we had collected the money, we were encouraging corruption and anybody can come up later in the year or in the nearest future to challenge us that we collected money for the work we had not done.

“But, now, any proclamation from the Supreme Court is the law. This is the law. A judgement has been given, the money is due to us and we can collect it now. When he (Makinde) wanted to pay us, the question was, why will he pay us? Why will he even sack us in the first instance when the court said it’s wrong? Why would you do that? If you had done that and you said you want to pay us, that in itself is corruption, so we will never be part of a thing.

“For us, if we had collected the money at the time, and when people see us, will they not say it was all about the money?

“But for us, it was not about the money or the office, it is about the rule of law and I am saying it, I personally don’t ever have interest in contesting any local government elections again in my life.

“But the whole idea is for us to show that we want democracy to be entrenched at the grassroots and that is what we have done. We have laid precedence and for generations to come, the sacrifice we have made will always be enjoyed by those who will occupy the office at the local government level.”

The victorious council bosses across the 33 local government areas (LGAs) and 35 local council development areas (LCDA) expressed their appreciation to Chief Niyi Akintola who provided them legal service pro-bono up until the Supreme Court.

Responding, Chief Akintola said he decided to offer free legal service to the embattled council bosses as part of his contributions to the development and progress of the party.

While encouraging the party members and leaders in attendance on the need to be united, Akintola said his commitment to the progressive fold and sacrificial services were some of the things learnt from the late Chief Bola Ige.

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