OSUN: Gov Adeleke Floors Oyetola’s Allies In Suit Challenging Sacking From SUBEB
The National Industrial Court In Ibadan, presided over by Justice Dele Peters, has dismissed a suit filed by members of the dissolved Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) against Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The erstwhile SUBEB Chairman, Francis Famurewa and the board’s members had on March 6, 2023 filed a suit through their Counsel, Zacchaeus Alayinde before the court seeking declaration of their dissolution as illegal and unconstitutional.
Advertisement
The former board members demanded the court to order Adeleke to pay their salaries and emoluments from November 2023 till the expiration of their tenure and also demanded damages to the tune of N500 million.
The claimants further prayed the court to order the Osun State Government and Governor Adeleke to pay the sum of N80 million as salaries, furniture allowance, imprest and leave allowance /bonus.
However, the counsel of the government from the Ministry of Justice, led by the Director of Litigation and Advisory Services, Barrister Jide Obisakin, kicked against the pleas.
He told the court that the claimants were not qualified for appointment in the first place, pursuant to the law that established SUBEB.
Advertisement
Obisakin added that the claimants letter of appointment was dated July 21, 2020 but was to take effect from May 1, 2020 in contravention of the law that established the board.
During the trial, Obisakin presented several exhibits, including the judgment delivered by the High Court of Osun State, sitting in Ilesa, buttressing same with the law enacted by the Osun State House of Assembly which reverted the change of the state’s name from ‘State of Osun’ to Osun State.
He noted that plaintiffs’ appointment letters bore ‘Osun State’.
In his judgment, Justice Dele Peters stated that the claimants were not appointed into office pursuant to the law that established the SUBEB in the state .
The judge subsequently refused all the reliefs sought by the claimants and dismissed their case in its entirety.
