Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has reiterated his stance that he would not authorize payment to the sacked local government chairmen in the state until directed by the Supreme Court.
The governor made this declaration in Ibadan yesterday while addressing the recent garnishee order on state government accounts obtained from an Abuja Federal High Court by the dismissed local government chairmen in 2019.
Justice A. O. Ebong issued the order on December 15, attaching the state government’s accounts in 10 commercial banks across the country.
This directive followed a garnishee proceeding initiated by the local government chairmen, who were relieved of their positions by Makinde on May 29, 2019
The Supreme Court had previously nullified the sacking of the chairmen and councillors on May 7, 2021, deeming the governor’s actions unconstitutional.
Despite securing a substantial judgment of N4,874,889,425.60 against the state governor and other officials, with N1.5 billion already paid, a significant balance of N3.5 billion remains.
In response to the court ruling, Governor Makinde emphasized that his government would not yield to pressure to allocate the state’s funds to what he deemed “wrong hands” until all legal avenues were exhausted.
Governor Makinde justified the 2019 dismissal of the former council chairmen by asserting that their elections were not constitutional.
He further criticized the ruling from the Federal High Court in Abuja, labelling it an abuse of court process.
“The ex-LG chairmen will not get a dime until the Supreme Court asks us to pay. I will not pay wrong people.
“This is a government that is based on the constitution,” Makinde firmly stated.
Addressing a separate issue, the governor responded to allegations regarding the conversion of Agodi forest into a housing estate.
Dismissing the concern of those opposing the move, Makinde asserted that critics were ill-advised.
He maintained that the decision to repurpose the forest would yield economic benefits for the state and enhance its security.
