By Femi Adewale
Lagos State Civil Society Coalition has said that the state’s House of Assembly overreached its legislative powers with the purported suspension of the Chairman, Alimosho Local Government Council, Jelili Sulaiman.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday, the coalition said the action of the House and its Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa “is a direct assault on local government autonomy”
The statement was signed on behalf of the coalition by Mr Shina Loremikan of Campaign Against Impunity and Tobi Johnson of Campaign for Democracy.
“It is important to emphasise that while the Lagos State House of Assembly holds the powers to create laws for the administration of local government councils, these powers do not extend to interfering in areas that the Constitution explicitly reserves for local government;
“The powers do not extend to placing any Chairman of Local Government Area Councils and Local Centre Development Areas under suspension.
“The management and regulation of markets, for example, are matters that fall squarely within the constitutional jurisdiction of local government councils,” the coalition said.
The group, specifically condemned the attempt to justify the action of the Assembly by its member, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, Chairman of the Committee on Information, Strategy and Security.
“Hon. Ogundipe’s remarks, which attempt to justify the Assembly’s interference in local government functions by invoking Sections 7 and 8 of the Constitution, betray an alarming disregard for the actual intent of these provisions.
“Sections 7 and 8 of the Constitution are explicitly designed to protect and enhance the autonomy of local government councils, ensuring their ability to manage their affairs without undue interference.
“The Assembly, as Hon. Ogundipe suggests, cannot supplant these constitutional provisions with its own willful interpretation aimed at exerting control over local government operations.
“These sections do not, and cannot, be interpreted as giving the State House of Assembly tyrannical powers to control or override the functions of local governments,” the group said.
The coalition added that the interpretation of section 128 of 1999 Constitution by Obasa led Assembly to justify the suspension was also “hasty and erroneous”.
It contended that section 128 does not grant the Assembly the authority to intervene in matters outside of its constitutional mandate.
“The Assembly’s misinterpretation of the Constitution is too glaring to be ignored, and it risks eroding public trust in the legislature.
*The people of Lagos State deserve better-informed lawmakers who understand the limits of their authority and act in accordance with the Constitution.
“We hereby strongly advise Hon. Ogundipe to seek a refresher in Constitutional Law, at least to save the ignorant lawmaker from sinking deeper into the depths of ignorance within the corridors of power,”” the group said.
According to the coalition, the Lagos State House of Assembly has no powers to hire and fire a local government chairman.
It added that the functions of the legislature do not include disregarding the law and twisting same to suit the “selfish and sinister interests of members of the legislature.
The coalition admonished the Assembly to desist from undermining the Constitution and to respect the autonomy of local governments as enshrined in Nigeria’s foundational legal document.
It emphasised that the people of Lagos state would not stand by, while elected representatives attempt to distort constitutional provisions for political gain.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday suspended the embattled Council Chairman, indefinitely
The decision, which was reportedly reached during Monday’s plenary session, came after lawmakers voted unanimously to remove Sulaimon over allegations of misconduct and defiance of the legislative House.
The Vice Chairman of the Council, Mr. Akinpelu Johnson, was directed to assume control of the council’s affairs.
Fine and clear. So local government chairmen can’t be checked? They are free to do whatever they want? Who corrects them when they default in any way?