Sunday, 22 January 2017

OYO LOCAL COUNCIL POLLS AND THE LCDAs - Akinola Dhikrullah

 Few days ago, I predicted some things politically as regards the conduct of the LG election in Oyo State; while some people agreed with me, most people, especially politicians who might have spent a 'fortune' in preparation for the election, disagreed.

In the witty write-up, I narrated how, in the creation of the LCDA, 23 of our villages in Oyo East LG were ceded to Afijio LG. The same scenario played out in Atiba and Oyo West LGs. Parts of Akinyele Lg were not ceded to Afijio. Some parts of Iseyin and Oorelope were not ceded to OyoWest and Atiba respectively. What are we saying? There is no doubt that it was done in bad faith.

It is no longer a rumour that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the conduct of the election‎ pending the resolution of the grievances that arose as a result of unjust delineation of the existing LGs in the state. Added to this is the fact that the court ordered the stoppage of allocation to the LGs‎.

This was after some Baales and Chiefs from our town had sued the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), asking the court to restrain the commission from conducting the election pending the determination of the case.

And remember that few months ago, the people of Oyo town, led by our revered senior citizen, Arch-Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, met the Governor in his office. After some historical perspectives and reading of maps, Governor Ajimobi was said to have assured the delegation that before anything, he was going to make sure all the grey areas are resolved. What we saw later was the constitution and inauguration of OYSIEC!‎

Few days ago, the Government, through its agency, was said to have ordered that 23 schools in Oyo East and Oyo West‎ should be ceded to AFIJIO. Also, all properties belonging to two LGS would also be ceded to AFIJIO. Teachers who are under the employment of the two LGs have stayed away from schools while students are already at home too. 

Are they saying that people whose votes were recorded for Oyo East/ Oyo West State Constituency during the last election will now become constituents of AFIJIO State Constituency without their consent? ‎

For long, we have been living happily as brothers‎ in Oyo Federal Constituency. I don't know what may happen if this matter is not properly handled. The government should not make two brothers go to a needless 'war'; we are all Oyos. We didn't demand for what isn't ours. The good people of AFIJIO didn't also demand for what isn't theirs. Before LCDAs were created in Lagos, Ogun and Osun states, the community leaders were active players; they didn't bring out a document that was done 14 years ago; they resorted to the realities on ground.

Before anything, I am from Oyo and I don't have any apology whatsoever. Ibi ori dani si laagbe! Nobody has authority over where he or she is born; if you were in my shoes, maybe you would have done more than this. 

The good people of Oyo town are neither against the creation of LCDA‎ nor the conduct of election but the injustice should be corrected first of all before anything. The creation of LCDAs isn't a gift; if you create 50 LCDAs from an existing LG, it is the same allocation accruable to such council that will be shared! It doesn't mean government is giving extra allocation. And apart from this, only the Federal Government has the power to ADJUST boundary(ies).

Akinola is a political scientist and a public commentator. 
 
 

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