Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has said that the state and local government tiers of government are inseparable and one cannot be taken from the other.
Fayose stated this while reacting to the Supreme Court judgement, which granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government, ordering the Federal Government to pay the 20.60% monthly allocation of the 774 LGs in the country directly to their exclusive accounts and not to accounts controlled by governors.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, the former governor opined that nobody can become a local government chairman without the support of the serving governor of a state.
According to him, “While I love and I do not believe that any governor should take local government funds, may I say to you clearly this evening that you cannot take the baby from the mother.
“There is nobody that will become council chairman without a governor. Anybody telling you otherwise is wasting his time.
“While I am not against the judgement of the court, how realistic will that translate to the benefit of outside what it is today?
“As it is today, the situation will continue. You cannot tell me that I cannot coronate in terms of who becomes the chairman. Everybody looks up to the governor, and the governor allows communities in some places to go and pick people.”
Speaking further, the PDP chieftain described as an “illegality”, calls by some persons and groups that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should take over the conduct of local government elections from state-owned electoral umpires.
“You can’t put illegality in place by asking the federal INEC to take over the state INEC. That will be an illegality.
“The moment you want to take away the powers of a state, then you have deviated from the federal system of government where the state is as strong as the Federal Government on most matters,” he added.
Fayose said no governor would allow his “enemies” to win local government chairmanship seats.