On May 29, 2019, immediately after Governor Seyi Makinde completed the process of oath taking, his first official function was to deliberately plunge the 33 Local Governments into crisis.
Through his then Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Governor Seyi Makinde announced the dissolution of the 33 Local Governments on the 29th of May, 2019.
As at that time, the immediate past administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi had conducted Local Government elections and the chief executives of the 33 Local Governments were validly in place.
However, without consultation, Governor Seyi Makinde unilaterally sacked a validly elected Local Government officials and immediately placed an embargo on the finances of the 33 Local Governments.
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For a considerable number of months, he did not appoint caretaker committees and when he did, he refused to remove the embargo placed on the finances of the 33 Local Governments for months.
The embargo placed on the finances of the Local Governments didn’t, however stopped the inflow of monthly allocation into the bank accounts of the Local Governments and surprisingly, Governor Seyi Makinde started making unlawful withdrawals from the revenues of the 33 Local Governments.
For the avoidance of doubts, I can confirm that the sum of 2bn Governor Makinde paid for the severance of Osun State from the joint ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, was illegally removed from the revenues of the 33 Local Governments!
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For months, even after he appointed Local Government Caretaker Committees, Governor Makinde still sat on the revenues of the 33 Local Governments and apart from paying salaries, he only approved the sum of 10 million Naira on a monthly basis for each Local Government and this sum of money were shared amongst the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in each of the Local Governments.
Governor Seyi Makinde himself admitted to this illegality when he cancelled the release of 10 million Naira monthly for the 33 Local Governments.
He said, the Local Government Chairmen could not account for the monthly releases of 10 million Naira he approved for them at the time.
Imagine that!
While these illegalities were being perpetuated, Governor Makinde was locked in a legal battle with the sacked Council officials.
It was in the midst of all these that he awarded the Contracts for the Bus Terminals and the Light Up Oyo and he even took loans, using the Bank accounts of the 33 Local Governments as surety.
While the case of the sacked Local Government Chairmen was still at the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court delivered judgment in a similar matter involving Katsina and a few other states and to stop unnecessary litigations by states like Oyo, the Supreme Court in its wisdom asked the Attorney General of the Federation to make copies of the judgment available for those states who were still litigating on similar issues.
Instead of Governor Seyi Makinde to take a cue from the judgment of the Supreme Court which was duly served on him on the instructions of the Supreme Court, the Oyo state Government began to attack the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Government headed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Oyo state Government turned the whole thing to a political issue and they had the support of a very few purchased media, most especially, those who sold their conscience for a gift of SUV.
At the end of the day, Oyo state lost the case at the Supreme Court, but, surprisingly, Governor Makinde refused to comply with the judgment and even boasted that he wasn’t going to pay the sacked Local Government Chairmen the arrears of their salaries and allowances as ordered by the Supreme Court.
This refusal by Governor Makinde to comply with the directives of the Supreme Court led to another round of litigations which went up to the Court of Appeal.
You would now wonder, whose resources was Governor Makinde deploying on a needless battle of ego through the unnecessary court actions?
The resources of the 33 Local Governments of course.
At the end of the day, Governor Seyi Makinde decided to conduct a Local Government election in May 2021 and in Ibarapa East Local Government and Ido, where the elections were contested, Governor Seyi Makinde turned the two Local Governments to a war zone on the day of election.
In Ibarapa East, thugs, led by Mukaila Auxiliary, who was at the material time, the Chairman of the Park Management System invaded Eruwa and Lanlate and in the end, four innocent lives were lost.
The 2024 Local Government election conducted by Governor Seyi Makinde was equally a sham.
Now, Governor Makinde has fixed another Local Government election for December 28, 2026.
That would be 24 hours after Boxing Day and 72 hours before New Year eve.
Not only that, it would be just a couple of weeks before the commencement of the much anticipated 2027 general elections.
Campaign activities for the presidential and the National Assembly elections commenced some days ago and that of the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections would commence in a matter of days.
The tenure of the present Local Government officials will be terminated just a few days before the tenure of Governor Seyi Makinde himself on 29th of May, 2027.
You will now wonder, why is Governor Seyi Makinde persistent on having a Local Government election in-between Christmas and New Year celebration and most especially, in the thick of the activities for the presidential and National Assembly elections?
What is Governor Makinde’s interest in the 33 Local Governments?
How has the 33 Local Governments fared under his Administration in the past seven years plus?
What is Governor Seyi Makinde trying to hide in the Local Governments?
I need not repeat it. Almost everyone, except, perhaps, his praise singers know that Governor Seyi Makinde had turned the 33 Local Governments to a milking ground. He has turned our Local Governments to headquarters of fraud and illegalities.
He definitely will want to do everything possible to ensure that he puts his puppets in those Local Governments, expecting them to cover his tracks if things go wrong with his intention of installing Bimbo Adekanmbi as his successor.
The question is, will he succeed? I can conveniently say that he will not and every right thinking person must also rise up to the occasion.
After the removal of fuel subsidies by president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the monthly allocations for the States and the Local Governments have increased tremendously. No state government can object the fact. Citizens are also aware, no governor has issues in paying salaries and other sundry expenses.
It is now common knowledge that each of the 33 Local Governments have been receiving, in the average, around 600 million Naira on a monthly basis and this is just the statutory monthly allocation, excluding VAT payments and Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs)
So, where are the signs that the 33 Local Governments in Oyo state are receiving such huge monthly allocations? We all see the kind of projects that Local Governments are executing in Lagos state. Governor Seyi Makinde said that he has been collaborating with Local Governments and we all know the results of such illegal collaboration.
A collaboration that allows the Governor to warehouse the resources of the 33 Local Governments in a particular Local Government and in the end, spent by the Governor in just one or two Local Governments.
A collaboration that has resulted in the sales of Local Government assets left by previous administrations without replacing them.
A collaboration that has led to the total collapse of trunk B, C and D roads across the 33 Local Governments.
A collaboration that empowers the Governor to turn himself to the Supervisor for the 33 Local Governments.
No Oyo state can not afford another three years of the recklessness of the past seven years plus.
We all owe it as a duty to stop Governor Makinde this time around and we will stop him, using legally acceptable means.
Heavens will not fall if Local Government Career Officers take charge of the Local Governments for the couple of days before a new government takes over.
Governor Makinde started his administration by creating crisis in the 33 Local governments. He should not be allowed to finish his term with a crisis in the Local Governments.
Reasonably, there is no way a valid and proper election could be conducted in December this year.
We know that Governor Makinde is not interested in challenging for the presidency of Nigeria.
He should allow those of us who are interested in doing so, to concentrate on the general election.
We know that he doesn’t believe in the existence of the Local Governments.
To him, the 33 Local Governments are just existing for him as plundering grounds.
Oyo state deserves better than that.
Sola Abegunde.
