Fayose Explains Why LG Autonomy Can’t Succeed

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has voiced concerns over the Supreme Court’s recent judgment affirming local governments’ right to receive monthly allocations directly from the federation account. The PDP chieftain highlighted that despite the ruling, state Houses of Assembly and governors will continue to obstruct local government autonomy.

Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Fayose emphasized that grassroots candidates cannot become local government chairpersons without a governor’s support, asserting that both the court and the federal government “cannot take the baby from the mother.”

He said, “I am not a lawyer. I am a politician and by God’s grace today, I am an elder statesman. While I love and do not believe that any government should take local government funds, may I say to you very clearly this evening that you cannot take the baby from the mother? There is nobody that can become council chairman without a governor. Anybody telling you otherwise is wasting his time.

“Let me quickly remind you that the House of Assembly of every state controls and checkmates the activities of the local government. While I was governor, I had the privilege of receiving money from Abuja. When you receive money from the account, some people manage the account. They are not politicians or the council chairman.

“There is only one representative of the governor, which is the local government commissioner. All others are local government officials, workers, and pensioners of the council. And they appropriate the funds. But when you now come and say we are giving power to the local government, what power are you giving to them? No power.”

Fayose further argued that state lawmakers would frustrate the process and that most council officials do not take their work seriously, with many not showing up for work on certain days.

“Any council chairman who says ‘Money is coming to me, I will disrespect my governor’ the House of Assembly will tell you to go and disobey him inside your house. This is because you can never even be a council chairman without the governor standing up for you. The House of Assembly regulates your activities.

“Go to the council meeting on Wednesday or Friday, you will not find 10 per cent of the staff of the local government in the office. They don’t come. My name is Ayo Fayose and I want them to dispute this. They don’t come to work. When you make moves to bring them to book, both NULGE and all leaders of the local government will go and beg the governor.

“They will be telling you, we will not vote for you. This is the way we operate at the local government. The state is more effective in administrative performance than the local government. At the local government, everybody comes to collect money. Even people have left some states. They live somewhere else and money just hit their accounts,” he added.