Yesterday, Monday Jan 7, the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment handed down a sharp rebuke to the illegalities, corruption and impunities of the Bukola Saraki years in Kwara State by upholding the Appeal Court ruling which reinstated the sacked chairman of Ekiti Local Government, Hon. Dele Abiodun.

We recall that Abiodun, a staunch advocate of local government autonomy, was summarily dismissed without any form of fair hearing by the Bukola Saraki administration for no other sins than his challenge of the illegal deduction of funds accruing to his council from the federation account. Abiodun heard of his dismissal on Radio Kwara without any prior letter to that effect. Later his councillors were coerced to do a kangaroo impeachment and Abiodun was, in what was akin to the Joshua Dariye saga, sent away from the seat to which the people of the council had elected him.

But, like the courts below had affirmed, the Supreme Court said an emphatic no to the rule of thumb that was the hallmark of the Bukola Saraki administration in Kwara. This ruling is indeed a confirmation of our consistent stand that the regime was as lawless as it was corrupt - contrary to the fake appelation of 'transparent leader and democrat' being accorded the former Governor by the hungry crowd in the PDP.

We salute Hon. Abiodun for his courage, belief in the rule of law and dogged fight for justice and fairness in the face of intimidation and political victimisation.

Although Abiodun's term had since lapsed, the ruling is a victory for rule of law and fairness and a rebuke to the impunities that were the norm in that era. We hope the Kwara State will, without further delay, pay all the entitlements and the arrears due Hon. Abiodun as an elected chairman.

Meanwhile, we also condemn in strong terms the attack on the CPC secretariat in Ilorin allegedy by some PDP thugs. We join the CPC to call on the law enforcement agencies to bring the culprits to book in the interest of communal peace. No political party should be allowed to constitute a threat to the existence of other parties or individuals who dare to hold divergent views. We note with dismay that the attack on the CPC headquarters came days after the party issued a scathing criticism of the PDP for resorting to name-calling because Kwara ACN chieftain Mohammed Dele Belgore SAN dared to point out a serious anomaly in the state's 2013 budget where recurrent expenditure far exceeded capital expenditure.

Kwara ACN chairman
Kayode Olawepo