10 Months Later, Ekiti Obeys Supreme Court Judgement Over Relocation of Council Headquarters

The Ekiti State Government on Monday set the wheels in motion to implement the Supreme Court judgment which relocated the headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government Area council from Iye-Ekiti to Eda Oniyo.

This is coming over 10 months since the court ordered the state government to immediately return the headquarters of the local government to Eda-Oniyo from where it was relocated to Iye-Ekiti, shortly after the state was created on October 1, 1996.

Following the pronouncement of Iye-Ekiti as the headquarters against Eda Oniyo contained in the Federal Government’s gazette, the Eda Oniyo people went to court to contest what they described as a “politically motivated relocation” of the headquarters by the then military governor, Col. Inua Mohammed Bawa .

In delivering his judgement, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour on December 14, 2018, ordered the relocation of Ilejemeje council headquarters from Iye-Ekiti to Eda Oniyo, thereby putting an end to a 19-year battle, which began at the state High Court.

The apex court had held that the relocation of the headquarters of the local government to Iye-Ekiti was null and void, noting that the action wasn’t backed by statute.

While addressing a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, said the government had no option than to follow the decision of the Supreme Court.

He said the decision was taken following the advice of the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice,  Wale Fapohunda,  and  the report of a fact finding committee, which advised that by virtue of the Supreme Court’s pronouncement, it would be  “illegal ,irregular, unconstitutional, null and void”  to recognise Iye-Ekiti as the headquarters of the council.

He said sequel to the judicial decision, the government proclaimed that “the decision of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, is sacrosanct and inviolable, and is binding on the government.”

The deputy governor said by virtue of the pronouncement, all government departments, institutions, organisations, public functionaries, corporate bodies and others were expected to cooperate with government to facilitate a smooth relocation.

He directed the Chairman of the council, Hon Sunday Awolola, and the Commissioner for Local Government, Prof Adio Folayan, to prepare a schedule for the relocation of the council to its new headquarters.

The chairman of the council appealed to the people of the two towns to remain peaceful and law-abiding, saying adequate security would be provided by the government to avert unnecessary communal clash.