Court Stops Oyo Local Government Election

•How 16 Baales’ suit created legal
impasse
 January 22, 2017  Dare Adekanmbi
An Abuja Federal High Court judge,
Justice John Tsoho, has ordered the Oyo
State Independent Election Commission
(OYSIEC) not to proceed with its plan to
conduct local government election slated
for February 11.
The judge also directed the Accountant
General of the Federation, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Ministry of
Finance to withhold monthly allocation to
the 33 local government councils in the
state.
The orders were made in Abuja on Friday
following a motion ex-parte filed in the
suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/11/2017 on
behalf of 16 Baales from Oyo Federal
Constituency by the lawyer, Ahmed Raji
SAN, pursuant to the creation of 35 local
council development authorities (LCDAs)
in the state.
The creation of the LCDAs by the state
government last year was said to have
tampered with the boundaries of the 33
existing local government areas
recognised in the 1999 Constitution.
Sunday Tribune learnt that some
communities, which were hitherto under
Oyo Federal Constituency, got ceded to
local government areas which fall within
the boundary of Oyo North Senatorial
district.
The four local government councils in Oyo
Federal Constituency are within Oyo
Central Senatorial district.
The court also directed that monthly
allocation to the 33 councils should be
lodged in an interest-yielding account to
prevent the state government from usinvg
same to fund the LCDAs as prayed by the
plaintiffs.
The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) was also restrained
from supporting OYSIEC in the conduct of
the election through the release of voter
register or any other material.
Also included was an order compelling the
CBN to direct all commercial banks in the
country to stop any dealings or
transactions with the 35 LCDAs.
The plaintiffs aver that the law enacted by
the state House of Assembly to legitimise
the LCDAs is “an illegal contraption,
which is null and void, having been
enacted in violation of the relevant
provisions of the 1999 Constitution.”
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi,
is joined as a defendant too as well as
Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the state House
of Assembly, Attorney General and
Commissioner for Justice.
The matter has been adjourned to
February 7 for hearing of motion on notice
filed by the plaintiffs who include: Chief
Oladokun Abiola; Lasisi Jokaola; Tesleem
Adekunle; Jimoh Oyeleye and others.