The Supreme Court has reinstated Oyo Local government chairman sacked by Governor Seyi Makinde in 2019.

The sacked local council chairmen, under the aegis of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State Chapter were reinstated five days to the end of their tenure on Friday.

Oyo Today reports that the apex court in its judgement directed the Oyo State government to pay all outstanding salaries owed, but refused to extend the tenure of the chairmen billed to expire in five days.

Mr Makinde had in 2019 prematurely sacked the local government chairmen who were hurriedly elected into office during the immediate past administration of late governor, Abiola Ajimobi, in 2018.

Drawn from 33 local government areas (LGAs) and 35 local council development areas (LCDAs), the local government bosses who  were members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the state’s main opposition party, were believed to have been elected to give the party a staying power in the state’s politics.

However, Mr Makinde shortly after assuming office, asked the LG bosses to hand over the property of their councils to the most senior civil servants in their respective local government areas.

Following the sack, the chairmen led by Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, approached the Ibadan Division of the Court of Appeal to overturn the governor’s decision.

The court instead affirmed their sack.

Not satisfied with the appeal court’s verdict, the embattled chairmen instituted a case against the appeal court judgement at the apex court when their case was argued and judgement reserved for May 7.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling, acknowledged that the tenure of the sacked chairmen and councillors has not expired though it denied them elongated stay for lost time during their ouster from office.