AN Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan yesterday fixed July 30 for further hearing in a case filed by the state government over the sacking of chairmen of 33 local government areas and 35 local council development areas (LCDA).
Governor Seyi Makinde of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had on May 29 dissolved the council chairmen after he was sworn in as governor.
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Justice Ladiran Akintola said the new date was picked with the consent of the two counsel, notwithstanding the annual vacation of the court and subject to the convenience of the judiciary.
Justice Aderonke Aderemi of the state high court had on May 6 ruled that Makinde did not have the power under the law to sack elected local government chairmen.
Adeniyi Farinto, who is the lead counsel to the state government, told the court yesterday that the counsel to the council chairmen had refused to take an application filed by the respondent.
The counsel to the state chapter of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON), Kunle Sobaloju, said the charge was to commit the judgment respondent (Makinde) to prison for disobeying a valid and subsisting judgment of the court, which had earlier pronounced that the governor did not have the power under the constitution to sack elected local government chairmen.
He noted that what the government did by dissolving the local government chairmen was absolute disregard to the constitution because at the time the governor took the action, there was no notice of application against the judgment that favoured the local government bosses.
He added that the judgment has not been appealed and it has not been set aside by any court.
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He emphasised that whatever the governor did on May 29, against the judgment giving by Justice Aderemi was null and void.
“The status quo was that all the chairmen of the 33 Local Government and 35 Local Council Development Area still remained the executive chairmen of their respective local governments,” the lawyer said.
He, however, said the local government bosses will fight the case until justice is served.
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