Kwara Lawmaker Berates Govt over Refusal to Comply with Court Judgement on Caretaker Committees in 16 LGAs

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The lawmaker representing Ilorin South Local Government Area in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Raheem Agboola, yesterday berated the state government over refusal to obey the court order sacking 16 local government are caretaker committees in the state.

The Appeal Court recently sacked the caretaker committees inaugurated  in the 16 local government councils in the state.

The court ruled that the inauguration of the affected committees in the 16 local government councils by the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was illegal and executive rascality.

But since the judgement, the state government is yet to dissolve the affected caretaker committees in the local government councils in the state.

However, in a chat with journalists in Ilorin on the issue, Agboola, who is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker in the state Assembly, advised the state government to save taxpayers’ money by not engaging in unnecessary appeal of the judgement.

He said  going by the posturing of the state government since the judgment was issued, it appears that for whatever reasons, the government would rather persist on what the court has rightly described as ‘executive rascality’ rather than submit itself to any kind of democratic assessment.

According to him, “The Kwara State Government would do well by obeying the court ruling and calling for an election immediately, as wasting hard earned tax money to pursue a lost case is an illegality that should be condemned by all.”

“The government should put in place process that will lead to the conduct of council elections to put life back to the local government areas in the state which are almost moribund due to the action of the state government.”

Agboola, who is on suspension by the state House of Assembly, also accused the leadership of the Assembly of turning the legislature to an assembly of APC by using it to propagate their ‘selfish agenda’ by not paying his salaries and allowance since January this year.

He said his suspension and the declaration of the seat of the honourable member representing Ojomu Balogun constituency, Saheed Popoola, vacant for defecting from the APC to the SDP, saying

the Assembly has no grounds to carry out such decisions.

“They suspended me by introducing a word never heard before, saying I was reprimanded for 14 legislative sittings, which is abuse of legislative powers.

“Despite not allowing to perform my legislative duties, I have also not been paid my salary and any allowance since January this year, they have turned the state Assembly to APC House of Assembly,” he said.

Agboola, however, urged the electorate to register for their PVC in order to have the power to decide the government that will pilot the affairs of this state in 2023.