Ajayi mocked the governors who went to the court to challenge the local government financial autonomy, saying that such governors hated democracy and believed that Nigerians must be exploited more in order to satisfy their greed.
The African Action Congress (AAC) gubernatorial candidate in the upcoming Ondo State elections, Kunle 'Wizeman' Ajayi, has commended the Supreme Court's decision to affirm local government autonomy.
Ajayi mocked the governors who went to the court to challenge the local government financial autonomy, saying that such governors hated democracy and believed that Nigerians must be exploited more in order to satisfy their greed.
SaharaReporters reported earlier on Thursday, that the court's ruling, led by Justice Emmanuel Agim, highlighted the longstanding issue of state governments withholding financial autonomy from local governments for over two decades.
The court in its landmark judgement ordered the 774 local government councils to manage their funds independently, marking a significant victory for the National Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and workers nationwide.
Reacting to the judgement in a statement, Ajayi said he believed that local governments, being closest to the people, should drive development, but governors had hijacked the role for personal gains.
In the statement signed by the Spokesperson, Ajayi/Dada Irapada Ondo Gubernatorial Campaign Committee, Abiodun Lijofi, the AAC flag bearer welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, which he saw as a boost to democracy and accountability in governance.
According to him, "this judgement is also a great loss to Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other governors who had gone to court to battle against Local Government Autonomy. We warned them that the truth would prevail. These governors hate democracy and believe that Nigerians must be exploited more in order to satisfy their greed. Now, they have lost woefully!
"We call on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to dissolve the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) immediately. The agency is more or less a section of the ruling party, and it is quite anti-democratic.
"We remember, with nostalgia, how our party, the African Action Congress (AAC), was robbed in the last Ondo State Local Government elections in 2020. We are glad that we protested this in a long and well detailed petition, but sadly, the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu never constituted the elections tribunal to look into our grievances. Such is the tyrannical method governors use in hoodwinking democracy from the grassroots."
The African Action Congress (AAC), he said, is calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to convene an urgent meeting with all stakeholders in local government to establish a timeline for conducting uniform local government elections across the country.
The AAC said it reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for genuine democracy, even in the face of resistance from those who seek to maintain the status quo.
By pushing for simultaneous local government elections, the AAC said it aimed to promote democratic principles and ensure that power is truly entrusted in the hands of the people.