Oyo sociopolitical group faults Alli over LG, LCDA autonomy, says promise exposes constitutional ignorance
Oyo sociopolitical group faults Alli over LG, LCDA autonomy, says promise exposes constitutional ignorance
The GSM Advocates, an Oyo State-based sociopolitical group, has faulted the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sharafadeen Alli, over his promise to grant local government councils and local council development areas (LCDAs) financial autonomy from May 29, 2027, if elected, describing the pledge as impractical and potentially misleading.
The state coordinator of the group, Abiola Bashorun have the caution on behalf of the GSM Advocates on Friday, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan.
The group said Alli's promise raised fundamental questions about his understanding of the constitutional framework governing local government administration and funding in Nigeria.
It argued that Alli's desperation to occupy the state's number one political office appeared to be fuelling political deception and promises whose implementation he had yet to explain.
Alli had made the pledge on Thursday during the inauguration of the Oyo State chapter of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, formerly known as Liberty Stadium, in Oke Ado, Ibadan.
“All our LCDAs and LGs will have autonomy on the day we are sworn in on May 29, 2027,” the APC candidate had declared.
Reacting to the statement, The GSM Advocates argued that the promise raised questions about the constitutional and legal mechanisms through which Alli intended to achieve the objective, particularly given the Supreme Court's judgment on local government financial autonomy delivered on July 11, 2024.
The group maintained that the Supreme Court had already addressed the constitutional status of local government allocations and the limits of state governments' control over such funds, making it necessary for any serious governorship candidate promising implementation to explain what specific measures he intended to introduce beyond what the judgment had already ordered.
It said Alli's declaration that autonomy would take effect on his inauguration day appeared to present a complex constitutional and administrative issue as though it were a policy that could be accomplished merely through a governor's announcement.
The group further questioned the candidate's inclusion of LCDAs in his pledge describing it as another proof of deliberate political deception, arguing that the constitutional status of LCDAs differs from that of the 33 local government areas recognised in the Constitution's First Schedule for Oyo State.
The group said Under Section 3(6) and the relevant provisions of Section 8, the creation of additional constitutionally recognised local government areas involves procedures beyond a state government's unilateral declaration.
According to The GSM Advocates, Alli should explain whether he was promising direct Federation Account allocations to constitutionally recognised local government councils, greater administrative and financial independence for LCDAs established under state law, or both, and identify the legal steps required to achieve each objective.
The group said the distinction was important because a campaign promise to grant autonomy to all LGs and LCDAs on a specified date could create expectations that exceed the powers available to a governor acting alone.
It maintained that a governorship candidate seeking public trust should demonstrate a clear understanding of the Constitution, the Supreme Court's binding judgment and the legal distinction between local government councils and LCDAs, rather than presenting the issue as an accomplishment that would automatically take effect upon inauguration.
The GSM Advocates also noted that the Supreme Court's July 11, 2024 judgment in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State and 35 Others, Suit No. SC/CV/343/2024, had already established the legal basis for direct funding of democratically elected local government councils.
The group called on the electorate to not be swayed by manipulations and deception, urging the people to question such pledges that reflects political desperation than the practicality of the pledge itself.
The GSM Advocates, which questioned Alli's role in the 10th Senate in bringing dividends of democracy to Oyo South, alleged that Alli's investments on billboards across the 11 local government areas under the senatorial district has become more prominent than any intervention from his office.
The group called on the electorate to learn from contemporary history and ensure they cast their votes to elect the next governor based on competence, credibility, capability, track records in terms of impacts on the people not offices held in the past, as well as genuineness of purpose of the candidate making the promises.