The chairman of the Kwara State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Lekan Alabi has threatened to sue the Kwara State Government over alleged refusal to conduct the local government election in the state.
Alabi who revealed this to Pilot Politics over the weekend in a telephone chat was speaking against the backdrop of the uncertainty that has surrounded the conduct of the election in the state.
According to him, indications on ground points to the fact that the government is not ready to conduct the council poll in the state.
The SDP party chairman said “We may drag the government to court over the non conduct of the LG election because it looks as if this government is not prepared to hold it.
“The tenure of the suspended chairmen will soon come to an end in about a week or two and nothing is on ground to show that we are going to have the elections.
“This is not the spirit of the constitution. The constitution says the tenure of elected council chairmen is three years which was approved by the House of Assembly for each local government chairman’s tenure.
“So why should they hold us to ransom. We will have to seek legal redress. Although this is a decision of our own party, but I know that other parties in Kwara State are not happy with the situation we found ourselves in Kwara as far as the issue of the local government is concerned.
Last month, The National Industrial Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, nullified the dissolution of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) by the state government.
The court, in a ruling which was obtained by National Pilot held that the dissolution was null and void adding that the claimant (KWSIEC) was removed from office for no disclosed reason.
It said the action did not follow the procedure prescribed by section 201(1) of the 1999 constitution.
According to the court, the statement “In the interest of the commission and public”, as contained in the (letter of its dissolution) is not contemplated under section 201(1) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
“The claimant was never invited for any state functions or meeting and (KWSIEC) duties do not include attending any state meeting. The removal of the claimant is unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void”, the court noted.
The judgment with suit no NICN/IL/11/2019 which was delivered September 29th, 2020 by Justice K.D. Damulak, is between Hon Jimoh Gabriel Yemi, a staff of KWSIEC (claimant) and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Speaker, Engr Danladi Yakubu-Soliu and Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission as defendants.
Recall that KWSIEC which was then chaired by Eleja Taiwo Banu, was among the commissions that were dissolved by the legislature following the request of the governor last year over allegation of disloyalty to the government and refusal to attend state functions.
