Court strikes out former council chairmen prayers to freeze Oyo state government accounts
Segun Showunmi in Ibadan
The High Court 6 sitting in Rings road area of Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital on Monday rejected the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), prayers to freeze the bank accounts of the Oyo state government.
Penpushing reports that Hon. Justice Ademola Adegbola struck out application filed by Hon. Abass Alesinloye’s led association against Oyo state government to freeze the state government’s bank accounts by way of Garnishee Order Nisi pursuance to the judgement of the Supreme Court for lack of merit.
The immediate past chairmen of the councils in the state had earlier approached the court to freeze the government bank accounts and also pay members an estimated sum for their dissolution alleging the defendants, which include the Governor Seyi Makinde, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Com. for Local Government And Chieftaincy Matters and Accountant General for the state, Oyo State House of Assembly, and Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC ).
Penpushing further reports that, counsel to Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), Tunji Ogunrinde while speaking with journalists on the ruling delivered at High court 6, Ring Road, Ibadan stated that the court in its reasoning struck their application for being incompetent and uncertain.
The counsel posited that the immediate past chairmen prayed for payment of the sum of Seven Billion, Three N7,335,072,997.69 before the court, which could not be traced in the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court.”
“On their part, they incorporated constituency allowance, utility, accommodation, security vote and entertainment. The State government, having understood the Supreme Court judgement, did it computation for salaries and allowances, and came up with the sum of Three Billion, One Hundred and Seventy Million, One Hundred and Eighty Three Thousand, Fourty Nine Kobo(3,170,183,523.49) and the government is ready to pay”, he stated
“My Lords in their wisdom did not specify amount to be paid in the Supreme Court judgement , and for payment to be made , it must be liquidated. It is on this premise that the court struck out their application for incompetent and uncertain, and ordered for reconciliation of figure by both parties”
Penpushing also reports that Ogunride hinted that the Oyo state government had paid the sum of N20,000,000) as cost based on the Supreme Court judgement, stressing that the action postulates the readiness of the government to pay its creditors.
The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) counsel added that the government has always shown willingness to comply with the judgement of the Supreme Court at previous meetings and negotiations being attended by counsel to parties in the suit.
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