The government of Oyo State has sent packing, Olamijuwon Alao-Akala, the son of a former governor of the State, Adebayo Alao Akala, as the Executive C
The government of Oyo State has sent packing, Olamijuwon Alao-Akala, the son of a former governor of the State, Adebayo Alao Akala, as the Executive Chairman, Ogbomoso North Local Government and in his place, the former Vice Chairman, Abas Bello, sworn in an acting capacity.
The decision follows the change of party loyalty on the part of the sacked council boss from the ruling All Progressive Party (APC) to the Action Democratic Party (ADP), the platform on which ex-governor Alao-Akala is contesting the governorship seat.
Recall that Olamijuwon was elected on May 12 on the platform of APC but alongside some of his councillors defected to the ADP to support his father’s ambition.
While speaking at the swearing-in of the Acting Council boss, the Commissioner noted that the ministry had on February 18 received official correspondences from the Council’s legislative body announcing the suspension of Mr Alao-Akala. The commissioner said that the councillors had suspended the chairman for alleged misconduct and abuse of office. He added that apart from Alao-Akala who was suspended, eight other Councillors from the same local government were also suspended. He presented a letter of authority to Bello, the Acting Chairman, urging him to discharge his duties according to the rules.
Reacting to his sack, Olamijuwon Alao-Akala, rejected his suspension as the Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government Council. Describing his suspension as a “kangaroo decision” which would not succeed, he insisted that he remains the executive chairman of the council. He added that the councilors, who claimed to have suspended him, were councillors-elect who were yet to be inaugurated since their election.
“I know the governor is a democrat and will never sanction such unconstitutional move. Let me give you some instances why it is so. We got elected last May 13, and since then, the councillors had not been inaugurated. They have never sat collectively before as the legislative arm. It has never happened. Secondly, I have eight councillors in my local government, so to form a quorum, they need six councillors plus the leader to make it nine.
“But in this situation, four councillors sat in a kangaroo manner and said they suspended me without informing me. It is a kangaroo set up by those who are yet to recover from my defection to my father’s party, ADP. Their claim cannot hold water and I am an elected chairman by law,’’ he said.
He urged the councilors to present the minutes of their sittings and records of their election as officers.
