AGF Malami Directs Oyo Governor To Reverse Sacking Of Council, Board Chairmen

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has written Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, directing him to reverse his dismissal of all elected chairmen of local government and local council development authorities in the state.

Makinde had on May, 2019, dissolved local government administration in the state, while directing the LG chairmen across the 33 councils and 35 LCDAs to hand over to the most senior directors in their LGAs.

But Malami, in a letter dated January 14, 2020, and addressed to Oyo State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oyewo Oyelowo, declared Makinde’s dissolution of the local government administration as unconstitutional.

Malami’s letter was titled “Unconstitutionality of dissolution of elected local government councils and appointment of caretaker committee: the urgent need for compliance with extant judicial decisions” and marked HAGF/OYO/2020/Vol.I/I.

The AGF declared that “The common practice by some state governors in dissolving elected local government councils is unconstitutional, null and void.”

This, Malami said, was in view of the Supreme Court’s position on the matter and which he said is binding on all the 36 states of the federation.

The letter further reads: “So, any system of local government run by caretaker committee is illegal and unconstitutional.

“I hereby request all state governors and speakers of state House of Assembly, who are currently acting in breach of the provisions of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and also acting in disobedience of the Supreme Court judgment highlighted above to immediately retrace their step by ensuring compliance with the above in the overall interest of the rule of law and our democracy.

“The need to immediately disband all caretaker committee and restore democratically elected representatives to man the local governments has, therefore, become obligatory.

“Mr President and other relevant agencies will be advised further on compliance measures that should be taken in national interest.”