Suspended Kwara council chairmen drag governor to court

Sixteen local government chairmen and councilors in Kwara state have filed a contempt of court charge against Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, State House of Assembly and the office of the attorney general of the state, following suspension order against them by the governor on Tuesday.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, chairman of the association of local government of Nigeria (ALGON), who is also suspended chairman of the Oyun LGA, Joshua Omokanye, said that their suspension that was reportedly occasioned by a petition violated fundamental human rights.

Omokanye, who was flanked by 15 other chairmen at the press conference, said that they would “remain resolute and assert our constitutional and legal right to remain in office and continue to function as the duly and democratically elected local government council chairmen in Kwara State”.

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Kwara state ALGON also said that there is a subsisting and final judgment of the state high court, Ilorin delivered on June 13, 2019 between Hajia Risikat Opakunle and 15 others vs Governor of Kwara state and two others, “that determined that the governor and the state House of Assembly cannot dissolve the local government councils in the state or suspend the 16 local government council chairmen in Kwara state during the tenure of their respective offices that will expire on November 27, 2020.

“Furthermore, members of the public are also being informed that the judgment referred to also affirmed that the governor of Kwara state and members of the Kwara state house of Assembly cannot freeze the bank accounts of the 16 local government chairmen.

“Under a constitutional arrangement set out under the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, neither the governor nor House of Assembly of Kwara state has power to dissolve the local government councils in Kwara state or suspend us from office particularly when we have a valid and subsisting judgment of court in our favour that has made final judicial pronouncements on our rights as democratically elected council chairmen in Kwara state.