Supreme Court Judgement and Gov Makinde‘s Addiction to Infected Kolanut at the expense of Oyo State Fund.

The judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on the 7th May,2021 after a two years of protracted but avoidable legal battle between ALGON and Oyo State Government on the Governor’s lawlessness by illegally dissolving elected local government chairmen and councilors was unambiguously delivered in simple, straightforward English language that any brilliant JSS 1 student can easily read and interpret without supervision. It is instructive to know that another judgement was delivered on the same day by the Supreme Court on similar case of illegal dissolution local council by Governor Masari in Katsina State.

The unanimous judgement delivered against Oyo State Government and its unruly conspirators by Ejembi Eko, JSC ordered that:

*1. That this Appeal be and is hereby allowed.*
*2. That the Claimants/Appellant be each paid the salaries and allowances they were each entitled to be paid for the balance of the period from 29th May 2019 ending on 11th May, 2021, when the respective tenures they were elected for would end.*
*3. That the 1st Defendant /Respondent, Government of Oyo State, shall forthwith pay the said salaries and allowances of the Claimants/Appellants as ordered.*
*4. That the Attorney-General of Oyo State, the 2nd Respondent herein, shall cause to be filled, on or before 7th August, 2021 an affidavit (under the hand of the incumbent of that office) attesting to the payment of the salaries hereby ordered to be paid to the Claimants/Appellants in compliance with this order(s)* .
*5. That costs at N20, 000, 000.00 shall be paid to the Appellants by the 1st Respondent.*

Since the explicit Supreme Court judgement, which is judgment of the final court in the country with no option of appeal, hit Governor Makinde like a thunderbolt, Oyo State Government has been in disarray and delusional spiced with executive rascality of the harsh reality of the final result of his sequential executive lawlessness since he decided, two years ago, despite our warnings and brotherly advice, to embark on the proverbial tortoise journey of a predictable disgraceful outcome. Pitifully, there’s nothing the Governor can do now after all his arrogant display of executive recklessness for two years, than to obey this judgement intoto because it is trite in law that no matter who you are, how powerful you think you are, the law is above you in a constitutional democracy governed by rule of law.

If Gov. Makinde had taken the path of honour, sobriety, lawfulness and obedience to the highest court of the land whose judgement is law, and emulate the Governor Masari of Katsina State who got a similar Supreme Court judgment against his government for illegally dissolving elected local government councils in his state and promptly started payment even before the August 7, 2021 deadline for “an affidavit (under the hand of the incumbent of that office) attesting to the payment of the salaries hereby ordered to be paid to the Claimants/Appellants in compliance with this order(s)” as clearly stated in the judgement, Oyo State wouldn’t have been pushed to this state of lawlessness, huge debt and ridicule before the entire nation and the civilized democratic global community. But now and shamefully, Oyo state government’s “Omoye” has entered the market square naked and no amount of clothe including all yards of garments in Gbagi market can cover his nakedness again.

Instead of following the path of honour and pay us, Oyo State Government belatedly invited us for a meeting for payment implementation after the expiration of the August 7, 2021 deadline given by the Supreme Court for the State’s Attorney General to file affidavit “attesting to the payment of the salaries hereby ordered to be paid to the Claimants/Appellants in compliance with this order(s)”. We attended the meeting despite our misgiving about the evasive character of the governor and trademark insincerity of the state government. We were proved right because the whole purpose of the meeting was to buy time and make illegal attempt to review the Supreme Court pronouncement. At a point, the state government indulged itself in deliberate confusion of extra-judicial arithmetical deduction when the assistance of a brilliant primary school pupil could have been sougth to do the calculation for them. What an audacity and outrageous executive arrogance! His Excellency has shown on many occasions his penchant for eating insect infested kolanut knowing fully well that the side effects would not be on him alone but at the cost of Oyo State fund, peace and development of the state. This notoriety is a real threat to rule of law and constitutional democracy.

*Our Next Move.*

With the Supreme judgment of the Supreme Court on his desk, Gov. Makinde has proverbially killed “Arogidigba”, the mystery weird creature and he has brought the Arogidigba burden to his “father’s house”, in this case, to Oyo State and the good and peace loving people. Since the Governor has decided to be expectedly lawless and treat the judgment with executive contempt and rascality, we have decided, as usual, to respond to this lawlessness by pursuing the path of justice. We are on with the process of enforcement of the judgment debt. The law must take his course so that the Governor and other unlawful governors in the future will be taught a lesson on how to be lawful and responsible and to comply with the Supreme Court judgment which no Jupiter in the country can violate, disobey or treat with contempt and go scot free without punishment.

Unfortunately, the Governor is not going to bear the burden alone but the entire state and its resources since he had paid his illegal contraption tagged “LG Caretaker Committee” of his fancy. In any case, the LAW must take its course no matter whose ox is gored as a deterrent for lawless people in order not to turn Oyo State into a jungle where might is always right. We appeal to all good people to call the governor to order. A wayward dog that doesn’t obey the hunters whistle is fated to get lost and become a pathetic sight in the wilderness.

Thank you.

Signed

*Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye MDII*
*Immediate Past ALGON(Forum 68) CHAIRMAN*
*Oyo State*