OSUN SUBEB DISSOLUTION: Court Dismisses Suit filed by the Oyetola Appointees
By ope BELLO,
The National Industrial Court In Ibadan, presided over by Justice J.D. Peters, has dismissed the suit filed by the dissolved members of Osun State Universal Basic Education Board against Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Former SUBEB Chairman and members of the dissolved Board, on 6th of March, 2023 approached the Court, through their Counsel, Zacchuaeus Alayinde in separate suits before the Industrial Court, Ibadan, to seek declaration of their dissolution as illegal and unconstitutional.
They urged the Court to order Governor Ademola Adeleke to pay their salaries and emoluments from November 2023 till the expiration of their tenure and also demanded damages to the tune of N500million.
The Claimants further prayed the Court to order the Osun State Government and Governor Adeleke to pay the sum of Eighty Million Naira, being payment for their salaries, furniture allowance, imprest and leave Allowance/Bonus.
The Legal team from the Ministry of Justice, led by the Director of Litigation and Advisory Services, Barrister Jide Obisakin appearing with Barrister Bamidele Salawu, had earlier told the Court that the claimants were not qualified to be appointed, pursuant to the Law that established the SUBEB.
Obisakin stated further that the claimants letter of appointment were dated 21st of July, 2020 but to take effect from 1st of May, 2020 in contravention of the law that established the Board.
During the trial,Obisakin presented several exhibits, including the judgement delivered by the High Court of Osun State, sitting in Ilesa, buttressing same with the law enacted by the Osun State House of Assembly, reverting ‘State of Osun’, which the appointment letters of the Claimants bore, to ‘Osun State’.
In his judgement, Justice J.D Peters stated that the Claimants were not appointed into the office pursuant to the law that established the SUBEB in the State. He subsequently refused all the reliefs sought by the Claimants and also dismissed their case in it’s entirety.