Four commissions drag Abiodun to court over "illegal" dissolution

Gov Abiodun 

Four statutory commissions and the education board have dragged the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, to the National Industrial Court for their alleged illegal dissolution. Punch reports.

The four commissions and the board sued the governor; the state House of Assembly; the Attorney General and the state government for allegedly dissolving them, removing their names from the payroll of the service and allegedly preventing them from resuming at their respective offices.

The commissions and the board are the Ogun State Teaching Service Commission; Ogun State Civil Service Commission; Ogun State House of Assembly Service Commission; Local Government Service Commission and Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board.

In the originating summons, the plaintiffs urged the court to declare as illegal the action of the governor and others who directed the permanent closure of their offices.

They also urged the court to declare the purported dissolution of the board and the commissions wrongful and not in accordance with the provisions of the enabling law and as such illegal, null and void and of no effect.

Already, the plaintiffs have obtained an interlocutory injunction restraining the governor, the Assembly and the other defendants from appointing or presenting any person for appointment as chairmen and members of the statutory bodies.

The court ordered the parties to maintain the status quo.

In their arguments, the bodies said they were sacked illegally before the expiration of their five-year tenure as stipulated in the constitution.

Similarly, the 20 local government chairmen and the 37 local council development area chairmen have dragged Abiodun to court over what they termed illegal suspension by the Ogun State House of Assembly.