The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) in Oyo State has demanded former local government caretaker chairmen and members to return all salaries and allowances received while in the office.
SPN premised his demand on the last week Supreme Court judgement, which faulted appointment of the caretaker chairmen and members by Governor Seyi Makinde
The party, in a statement signed by its State Secretary, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun, stated that the salaries and allowances received by the former Caretaker members were illegal.
The party while welcoming the Supreme Court’s judgement said that it was very clear that all of the salaries and allowances earned by any individual who had functioned at one time or another as caretaker chairmen in the State regardless of the government behind their appointment was illegal and unlawful.
The statement read in part:
“However, we remain consistent in our view that the then APC formed council chairmen were fraudulently elected through the electoral sham perpetrated by the then Ajeigbe-led OYSEIC an
“SPN welcomes the judgment specifically because it vindicates our Party’s age-long position that the practice of imposing caretaker chairmen as the heads of the local government administration in the state and across the country is undemocratic apart from being illegal and unconstitutional. It brazenly denies the ordinary people their fundamental rights to democratically choose their own leaders
“Unfortunately, virtually all the successive governments in the State, regardless of the pro-capitalist party, has in one way or another indulged in the unlawful practice of imposing caretaker chairmen as the head of Local Government Administration.
“To us in SPN, we see this as a deliberate mechanism used by pro-capitalist politicians and their political Parties to rub the public treasury of the funds meant for the improvement in the quality of life of workers, Youths and the poor at the local government levels.
“By this judgement, it is very clear that all of the salaries and allowances earned by any individual who had functioned at one time or another as caretaker chairmen in the State regardless of the government behind their appointment is illegal and unlawful.
“Therefore, we demand the refund of all of their illegally earned salaries and allowances throughout the period of their respective tenure and the retrieved fund must be subjected to public use under a democratic control and management of a committee that will include the elected representatives of the workers.”
