Oyo Assembly nullifies Irepo LG boss suspension, asks him to resume office

THE Oyo House of Assembly on Tuesday nullified the recent suspension of Chairman of Irepo local government area of Oyo State, Mr Adediran Asifu and his vice, Mrs Ojedele Victoria by councillors of the local government area for alleged gross misconduct, highhandedness and disrespect of party supremacy.

This is as the Assembly reinstated Asifu and Ojedele as Chairman and his vice of Irepo local government area pending an investigation report into the allegations by the Assembly’s committee on local government and Chieftaincy Matters.

Attending to a petition written by the Irepo LG councillors seeking the Assembly’s approval of their decision to suspend their Chairman and vice, the Assembly held that in line with the local government law, 2001, the action of the councillors remained inconclusive.

Seven Irepo council lawmakers had accused their local government boss of running the council as if it was his personal business, disregarding the rule of law, and relating poorly with the Head of Local Government Administration (HLA), other career officers and workers in the council.

Expatiating on the Assembly’s resolve, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Honourable Joshua Oyebamiji, said the 2001 law passed by the state House of Assembly stipulated that the removal or suspension of elected officials at local government level was only valid if approved by the trio of councillors, the state Assembly and the Chief Judge.

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Consequently, he said the councillors acted singularly as the other two approving bodies were yet to consent to a suspension of Chairperson and vice of Irepo local government area.

This, he said, prompted the Assembly to order the suspended officials to return to their offices until the Assembly scrutinises the issues raised by the petitioners.
Speaker, Honourable Olagunju Ojo, added that the Assembly’s stance would correct anomalies in the action of the councillors.

He consequently mandated the House Committee on Local government and chieftaincy matters to conclude its investigation in one week time.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has bemoaned indiscriminate parking of vehicles, especially commercial vehicles, which had made roads excessively narrow, threatening the safety of commuters and pedestrians.

Imperative, therefore, according to the Assembly, was the need for the state government to evolve a statewide= parking policy to regulate indiscriminate parking.

The need for clear cut parking policies to prevent crashes stemming from indiscriminate parking was canvassed for in a motion moved by Chairman, Parliamentary Council, Honourable Olusegun Ajanaku.

Furthermore, the motion called on the state government to equip officers of the Oyo State Traffic Management Authority with necessary tools and enabling policies to manage traffic better.