3rd November, 2010
Human rights lawyer and activist, Barrister Femi Falana has condemned the resolution of the House of Representatives on the dissolved local government councils in Ekiti State.
Following the dissolution of the local government chairmen by new governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the House of Representatives purportedly directed the Inspector General of Police to assist the former chairmen to force their way back to the council and also directed the Minister of Finance to seize the funds accruing to the Ekiti State local governments from the federation account.
Falana said the directives are illegal.
According to him, “the contemptuous behaviour of the House of Representatives runs contrary to the verdict of the Supreme Court in the governor of Lagos State Vs. Ojukwu (1986), NWLR (P & 18) 621 where it was held that ‘once a dispute has arisen between a person and the government or authority and the dispute has been brought before the court, thereby invoking the judicial powers of the state, it is the duty of the government to allow the law take its course or allow the legal and judicial process to run its full course.’â€
Falana, however, called on the Inspector General of Police and the Finance Minister to ignore the illegal and contemptuous resolution of the House of Representatives and allow the Ekiti State High Court to determine the legality of the dissolution of the councils by the Ekiti State government.
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