Court sacks transition panels in Kwara councils

The Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) chairmen and their executives in the 16 local council areas of Kwara State appointed by the state government have been sacked.

They were removed by the judgment delivered, yesterday, by Justice H. A. Gegele of the State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

The judge described Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s replacement of the suspended local government officials with appointed officials “as executive rascality and an abuse of power.”

Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), an anti-corruption organisation, had taken the state government to court over the appointment of the TICs to manage the affairs of local governments in the state.

The reliefs sought from the court by the civil society organisation included nullification of the governor’s action and order for the conduct of local government elections by the administration in the state.

Justice Gegele, in his judgment, ruled in favour of the group, admitting that “ENetSuD is a juristic person with a legal personality that could sue and be sued, and that it has locus standi to pursue this case in court of competent jurisdiction.”

The court agreed that the state government suspended the democratically elected local government councils, but expressed dissatisfaction that they were replaced with TICs that is not known to any law.

In his reaction to the judgment, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Salman Jawondo, said the government would appeal the verdict, and would seek immediate stay of its execution.