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State Of Osun Is Illegal, Court tells Governor Aregbesola

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Aregbesola Quotes Bible Verse As Oyetola Loses Osun Guber Election

-Court declares Aregbesola’s change of name as illegal and unconstitutional.

-The Governor had in 2011, changed ‘Osun State’ to ‘State of Osun’.

Court chides Aregbesola for changing state’s name.

The change of name to “State of Osun” by Gov. Rauf Aregbesola has been declared as illegal and unconstitutional by an Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa.

Delivering the judgement which lasted more than one hour on Thursday, Justice Yinka Afolabi, declared the new name instituted by Governor Aregbesola as unknown to the 1999 Constitution.

Delivering judgment which lasted more than one hour, the judge chided Aregbesola for deliberately and singlehandedly renaming the state, contrary to the known norms and the nation’s constitution.

He further stated that the current law makers of the State House of Assembly, were not sworn in as members of the “State of Osun House of Assembly” but as members of Osun State House of Assembly going by the seventh schedule of the constitution.

The judge also maintained Aregbesola single handedly renamed the state without due recourse to the constitution, highlighting that since the creation of the state in 1991, previous governments used the constitutionally envisaged name of Osun State.

“The executive governor of the state changed the name in 2011. The renaming of a state goes further and deeper for anyone to singlehandedly do.

“To re-order the name of Osun State as “State of Osun” is hereby declared as illegal, null and void.

“On the oath of allegiance, I want to state that the Seventh Schedule is part of the law.

“It is not a mere draft or mere oath. It does not give room for any alteration. After deposing to an oath of office, you cannot turn around to do otherwise,’’ Afolabi stated.

Reports obtained by Naija News says the case was instituted by a human rights activist, Mr Kanmi Ajibola, who had challenged the legality of the “State of Osun Land Use Charge Law.’’

Ajibola had gone to court in 2016, asking for certain reliefs after being served a notice by a private company known as “Interspatial Limited.”

The notice was christened “State of Osun Land Use Charge Annual Demand Notice” and signed by one Mrs. A. Ogunlumade, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

According to him, the notice was addressed to him as the property owner of No. 42, Onigbogi Street off Ibala, Ilesa West, and served on Aug. 15, 2016.

Some of the reliefs he sought for included a declaration that the “State of Osun Land Use Charge Law 2016, ” having being enacted by a legislative body that is not known to the constitution and the state not known to the 1999 constitution, be declared illegal and unconstitutional.

Ajibola also asked the court to set aside the “State of Osun Land Use Charge Law, 2016” having been enacted by a legislative body that is not known to the constitution and the state not known to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

In his reaction to the court judgement, the state Attorney-General , however, said the judgment would be appealed.