Some youths in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, under the auspices of Ekiti APC Youths Congress (EAYC), have described the refusal of the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to allow chairmen of the 16 Local Councils in the State to appoint supervisors and advisers as a disservice to members of the party who laboured to put him in office.
According to a press release issued to DAILY POST on Monday, and jointly signed by Tope Ogunkuade and Comrade Tunji Adeleye, EAYC Convener and Secretary respectively, the youths said they were miffed that statutory appointments of supervisors and advisers are yet to be made more than five months after the Council Chairmen assumed office.
They said members and supporters of the party in the State were suffering, noting that governance should not be for the privileged few as being done by Governor Fayemi, because his election was the collective efforts of all members of the party, especially those at the grassroots.
According to the youths, elected local government chairmen were sworn in on January 1, 2020, and that on June 1, 2020, the appointment of supervisors and advisers, that are statutory has not been made.
In local government administration, supervisors are like commissioners and in Ekiti, each local council is entitled to five supervisors and two advisers, making seven.
“With Governor Fayemi’s refusal to allow the Council Chairmen to make these appointments, 112 members of APC are being denied the opportunity to benefit directly from the party’s control of the government in Ekiti State and this is sad,” the youths said.
“The statutory salary of a supervisor is close to N300,000 per month and one can imagine what that would have done in the lives of 80 members of our party if they were not denied this opportunity by the governor.
“Also, these supervisors are entitled to Personal Assistants, making another 80 that would have at least been getting something to sustain themselves, no matter how small.
“2022 governorship election is drawing nearer, how do we win that election if our members at the grassroots level are being treated with contempt as being done by Governor Fayemi?
“We wish to call on well-meaning stakeholders in the party to appeal to Governor Fayemi to allow our council chairmen to make statutory appointments, as well as the appointment of other aides so that our members, especially the youths can also enjoy the benefits of having their party in government.”