Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has dissolved all the caretaker committees of the 16 local government areas and the 19 newly inaugurated Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.

The governor, who made the announcement through a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, said all the caretaker chairmen of the councils should immediately hand over to the Director of Administration of their respective councils.

Caretaker chairmen have been in control of the 16 constitutionally recognised councils since the immediate past governor Kayode Fayemi came on board on October 16, 2010.

Caretaker committees were also appointed for the 19 LCDAs which were inaugurated shortly after the June 16 governorship election.

Attempt by Fayemi to hold council elections in the 16 councils on February 4, 2011, was stopped by the state high court following a suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state that some of the members of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) were card-carrying members of the then ruling party, All Progressives Congress.

Fayemi, had, however promised to hold council elections before the end of the year.

However, Fayose vowed not to fund the LCDAs with federal allocations for the 16 councils listed in the 1999 Constitution.

In his inaugural speech on Thursday at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado Ekiti, Fayose had said: “My administration recognises the importance of local government councils as the third tier of government and growth poles for grass roots development.

“We also appreciate the legitimate yearning of our people for rapíd socio-economic transformation. Our developmental strides must however be pursued within the ambit of the law and age-long altruism of the maximum good for the maximum number.

“Section 7 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended clearly spells the authorities and procedures for the creation of local government, the sudden and shoddy balkanization of the existing 16 local government areas by the immediate past administration under the guise of creating local council development areas is being challenged in the court of law.

“Our party considers the hurried creation of the 19 LCDAs after incumbent (former Governor Fayemi) lost the June election as gratuitous after thought of a bad loser. It smacks off political subterfuge masterminded in utmost bad faith.

“But at the moment the matter is subjudice and as law abiding citizen our government will not do anything that will render the decision of the court nugatory.

“However, pending the pronouncement of the court, our administration shall be guided by the provision of section 3, part 1, first schedule of the 1999 Constitution on the list of local government in Nigeria in the allocation of resources to that tier of government.

“We shall ensure real democratisation at the local government level and put in place effective administration for rapid grassroots administration,” he said.

•Text courtesy of Sunday Sun. Photo shows oernor Fayose.

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