Admin l Friday, May 07, 2021
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Supreme Court today put governors in Nigeria in their rightful place when it ruled against arbitrary dissolution of elected local government chairmen and replacing them with caretakers committees who function at the behest of the respective governors.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the judgment read by Justice Adamu Jauro. The court condemned the government of Oyo and Katsina state arbitrary dissolution of duly elected local government council officials.
The court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the suit labeled Abubakar Ibrahim Yantaba and others vs Governor of Katsina State.
According to the court, the dissolution of duly elected PDP local government council officials by Governor Aminu Masari on allegation of financial misappropriation of councils funds is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.
The court also gave consequential orders directing that the unlawfully dissolved Council officials be paid all their entitlements from the date of their illegal dissolution to the date they were supposed to vacate office and awarded costs to the appellants.
Governors Masari of Katsina State and his counterpart in Oyo State, Seyi Makinde unlawfully dissolved elected LGAs on assumption of office.