The Supreme Court has declared the dissolution of local government administrations in Oyo and Katsina States and their replacement with caretaker committees as illegal.
In the judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Adamu Jauro, the apex court in a unanimous decision condemned the Oyo and Katsina state governments for the unlawful dissolution of the state duly elected local government Council officials.
The court in the suit filed by Abubakar Ibrahim Yantaba and others vs Governor of Katsina State, in its judgment, allowed the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
The court ruled that the dissolution of duly elected PDP local government council officials by Governor Aminu Masari on allegation of financial misappropriation of councils funds is illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.
The Court further gave consequential orders directing that the unlawfully dissolved elected PDP Council officials be paid all their entitlements from the date of their illegal dissolution to the date they were supposed to vacate office.
The Court also awarded costs to the Appellants and insisted that it should be complied with within a time frame.
Governor Masari had on assumption of office in July 2015 unlawfully dissolved Katsina State duly elected PDP Council officials on the allegation of misappropriation of Local Governments’ funds.