ALGON tells banks not to honour signatures of Oyo caretaker chairmen

Accuses Makinde of illegality

Oyo State chapter of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has told banks not to recognise signatures of the caretaker committee chairmen inaugurated by Governor Seyi Makinde for the 33 councils and 35 Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs) last week.In a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan yesterday, the chairman, Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, and secretary,
Jesutoye Oluyinka, said there was no vacancy at the councils.

The association, therefore, urged banks and other financial institutions not to honour directive on behalf of the councils from any body except the duly elected chairmen.“We are compelled to openly issue this letter of caution to the purported caretaker chairmen, bankers to all Oyo State LCDAs, civil servants in our dear state and all council staff to strongly avoid being put under duress by the state government to partake in another man’s sin, by not allowing themselves to be used to further foist what is clearly an illegal and fraudulent administration over our councils and LCDAs.

“We recognise that the governor continues to act illegally, hiding behind a cloak of constitutional immunity, while his political collaborators outside government who may be urging you all to embark on serial illegalities will not be signatories to any official council document that may incriminate you and form the subject of investigation of this orchestrated fraud on the administration of councils.

“Let us be clear that the revenue of our councils and LCDAs for wages and emoluments are only payable to legally recognised employment positions and staff of councils. Caretaker chairmen are not legally recognised under our laws anymore and therefore are not staff of councils, nor are they entitled to collect any wage, emolument or allowance from our councils under any guise,” ALGON stated.

According to the association, a purportedly dismissive echo of lies by the governor is empty in law, as it is not pursuant to any law, nor in furtherance of any court pronouncement.

“We can boldly say it under our constitutional democracy that the illegal statements of a governor does not become law not being legislation nor court order, hence you are not bound by such reckless statements and actions of the governor that contradict the law. We are not under military edicts, but under the constitution sworn to by the governor to defend and protect.

“Therefore any document executed, or directed to be executed by the usurping caretakers shall be illegal and a calculated fraud against the council. Similarly no bank can legally honour the signature of any caretaker chairman on any confirmation nor disregard our approving signatories as elected chairmen, otherwise such civil servant, staff, account officer, bank manager and their collaborators shall be liable for fraud on the revenue of state and criminal breach of trust,” it added.Oyo ALGON appealed to the stakeholders to depart from the path of illegality.