Following last week’s Supreme Court ruling that granted autonomy to local governments, the 401 chairmen and members of the caretaker committees overseeing the 62 local governments and council development areas in Osun State resigned on Wednesday.
The Caretaker Chairman of Odo-Otin Local Government Area, Okuku, Adewale Adeyinka, stated that he quit office out of “respect for our democratic principles.”
His resignation letter dated July 17, 2024 was announced to Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Adeyinka stated, “With a sense of duty and respect for our democratic principles, I am submitting my resignation as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee for Odo-Otin Local Government, effective quickly.”
As I move forward to seek new opportunities to serve my people, I want to assure you that the positive work we have begun will continue. I remain dedicated to supporting the growth and development of Odo-Otin Local Government in any way I can.”
The Supreme Court, in its ruling, prohibited governors from appointing caretaker committees to manage local governments.
The Supreme Court stated that only properly elected officials are allowed to manage local governments. It also stated that any local government being overseen by caretakers should have its allocation from the Federation Account suspended.
The immediate past Chairman of the Osun State chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Mr. Sarafadeen Awotunde, spoke with a reporter on Wednesday saying that all the 69 caretaker chairmen and 332 members in Osun State had resigned.
Asked to verify the resignation of the 332 caretaker members and that of chairmen, Awotunde stated, “Since we already called them caretaker, I don’t think there is any proper word to use than that they resigned. No one sacked them.
Caretakers have a limited period to operate, signifying that their tenure has concluded. Upon careful consideration, the Supreme Court has issued a definitive ruling, making any current caretaker arrangements illegal. Therefore, there are no longer caretakers recognized in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in Osun State, there are total of 30 Local Government Areas, 32 Local Council Development Authorities, six Area Councils and one Administrative Office.
The last set of caretaker committee chairmen and members were chosen by Adeleke in August 2023, and their term of office was prolonged by six months in February 2024.
Their tenure was to conclude in August, but they resigned before completing their term.
When contacted, Mr. Kolapo Alimi, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, verified that the LG caretakers had indeed resigned.
He stated, “We have received a lot of resignation letters. Those who resigned did so to be eligible for the party primary, preparatory for the local government elections coming up next year.
According to the Electoral Act, it is now mandatory for anyone who intends to participate in a party’s primary to first resign from their political office.
