BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State House of Assembly has ordered the recently sacked local government Chairmen and councillors not to leave their positions until all legal processes were completed.
While acknowledging a judgement of a Federal High Court sitting on Osogbo that nullified the election which brought the local administrators into power, the Assembly informed the plenary that a notice of appeal against the decision had been made available to the House.
Speaker of the House, Timothy Owoeye while briefing members of the Assembly on the outcome of the private meeting he held with the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke on Tuesday, stated that there now exists a mutual understanding that the house would be carried along on matters that concern the legislature.
The Speaker in a statement by his Press Secretary, Kunle Alabi held that the position of the House of Assembly was purely from the point of law and not in anyway antagonizing the Executive arm of government, saying the positions from the point of law were also related to the Governor at the meeting.
He congratulated the newly sworn in Governor of the state at a plenary he presided over on Tuesday evening. He responded to recent events in the state, saying the legislative arm is saddled with the responsibility of law making, only disagreed with the Governor on matters of law.
On the issue of LG administration, Owoeye informed the plenary of a notice of appeal against the decision of a Federal High Court judgment served on the 7th Assembly.
Consequently, the House resolved that the issue of Local Government administration should be left to the court of law, ordering a status quo on all Local Government administration pending the exhaustion on all legal means.
Owoeye while thanking his colleagues for their service and steadfastness to the state said, “this is the Osun State House of Assembly, anything we are doing has to be to the development and progress of this state, we have not done anything wrong or foul of the law.
“As an institution, we x-ray and scan whatever we disseminate because as far as the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is concerned, we are performing legislative duties and our functions as legislators.”
“When Aregbesola took over the mantle of leadership in 2010, the PDP controlled local government was still in place and the status quo remained. Nobody dissolved the local government until all legal processes were completed,” the Speaker emphasised.
Recall that owing to the court judgement sacking the local government Chairmen and Councillors, Governor Adeleke had directed the most senior career heads across all the Local Government Council Areas, the Area Office, LCDAs and ACDAs in Osun State to take charge of the affairs of their respective Councils with immediate effect.
“This is in compliance with the judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo that sacked the purportedly elected Local Government Chairmen and Councilors,” a statement issued by Olawale Rasheed,
Spokesperson to the Executive Governor had read.
