Ekiti Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Saturday sacked all the Caretaker Chairmen of the 16 Local Government Areas and the 19 newly created Local Council Development Areas in the state.

Also dissolved are all boards of government corporations, agencies and parastatals constituted by the immediate past Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, directed all the caretaker chairmen to immediately hand over to the Director of Administration of their respective council.

“The dissolution takes immediate effect.

“All the local government and local council development areas’ caretaker chairmen are to hand over to the Directors of Administration of the existing local government areas.

“The Directors of Administration are to take inventory of the property handed over to them,” the statement read.

Caretaker chairmen were in control of the 16 constitutionally recognised LGAs during the administration of Fayemi.

Caretaker committees were also appointed for the 19 LCDAs inaugurated shortly after the June 21 governorship election.

An attempt by the Fayemi to hold council election in the 16 councils on February 4, 2011, was stopped by the state High Court, following a suit filed by the PDP in the state that some of the members of the State Independent Electoral Commission were members of the then ruling party, APC.

Fayemi, who had promised to hold council election before the end of the year was defeated by Fayose in the June 21 election.

Fayose had his inaugural speech on Thursday vowed not to fund the LCDAs with the Federal Allocations for the 16 councils listed in the 1999 Constitution.

He said “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 balkanisation 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 (Fayemi) lost the June election, as gratuitous afterthought of a bad loser. It smacks of political subterfuge masterminded in utmost bad faith.

“But at the moment, the matter is sub judice, and as law abiding citizens, 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 provisions of Section 3, Part 1, First Schedule of 1999 Constitution on the list of local governments in Nigeria in the allocation of resources to that tier of government.”

Meanwhile, Fayose, has yet to move into the new Government House, Oke Ayoba, Ado-Ekiti, just completed by the immediate past Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Investigations by us revealed that Fayose is still governing the state from his campaign office in the Government Reservation Area, Ado-Ekiti.

Fayose had on Tuesday, in a live interview monitored in Ado-Ekiti, invited the prophets in Ekiti, both Islamic and Christian, for the cleansing of the Government House.

Also on Thursday in his inaugural speech, the governor threw open the gates of the government lodge, asking people to go and enjoy themselves there as it was built with their collective wealth.

At a thanksgiving service held the Central Mosque, Ado-Ekiti, on Friday,

Fayose told the congregation that he was not in a hurry to occupy the Government House.

He said, “I am for the masses. I’m not in a hurry to go to the Government House. Those who want to go there can go there and enjoy themselves.

“How will a governor put electricity in his house and the whole town is in darkness,” he queried.

In a related development, Governor Fayose, and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adewale Omirin, have engaged themselves in war of words over a one-month recess declared by the lawmaker.

Fayose had faulted the recess, saying it was declared in bad faith.

Omirin had in a statement by his media aide, Wole Olujobi, said the recess was to allow possible change of guide by the personnel of the Assembly.

However, in a statement made issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, the governor said the reason given by the Speaker for his action was a “lame excuse.”

Fayose accused Omirin of making a move to make the present government unpopular among lawmakers, urging him to purge himself of destructive tendencies and chart a new course.

Omirin, however, denied plotting to frustrate Fayose, describing the governor as a “rabble-rouser.”

Speaking through his Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Wole Olujobi, he said the allegations made by the governor against him were baseless.

He said, “They had been busy monitoring constituency projects to ensure their completion for inauguration by the former Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

“Even if Fayemi were still the governor, they would have still gone on the recess.”

@ Sunday Punch