Local Government Autonomy Under Threat In Lagos – Group Raises Concern Over Alimosho LGA Incident

Pro-Democracy group, Civil Society For Total Democracy (CSTD), has called on the Lagos state house of assembly to desist from interfering in the affairs of LGAs, particularly that of Alimosho LGA.

The group, while maintaining that Alimosho should be free from undue interference and control from higher levels of government, urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to embrace the ruling of the supreme court granting autonomy to LGAs, and ensure its effective implementation.

It would be recalled that on Monday, the Lagos assembly suspended Jelili Sulaimon, chair of Alimosho LGA, for “non-compliance, defiance and unyielding attitude.”

The house announced at the October 7 plenary that the suspension was indefinite and would take effect immediately.

Reacting to the development, CSTD in a statement title: “LAGOS ASSEMBLY VS ALIMOSHO LOCAL COUNCIL: WHO IS AFRAID OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY?”, tackled the Mudashiru Obasa-led House of Assembly, describing the move as an opposing attempt to stifle Local Government Autonomy and its practicality.

“Since the Supreme Court judgement that returned exclusive power to the Local Government authorities, the Lagos State government; especially the House of Assembly has been restive about autonomy.

“Aside from the fact the LCDAs are now illegal, the siphoning of the allocations to the LGs are now blocked. This has seriously unsettled the State government. And as it is, there are several steps being taken to undermine the Supreme Court judgement on Local Government Autonomy, as well as keeping the impunity of depriving Nigerians of the democracy of local politics and economy. As a political party, we have been following activities of the Midashiru Obasa-led House of Assembly, and we have officially issued statements condemning and opposing the attempts at stifling the Local Government Autonomy and its practicality.

“We were at the last public hearing on the Bills to regulating the affairs of the Local Governments. In the first place, these bills should not have been in the thought process if true democracy is anything to go by. The Local Government has it’s own parliament. Why is the state parliament poking into its affairs? As a political party who is going to contest in the Local Government elections, we reject every attempt by the Lagos State House of Assembly to impose undemocratic tendencies on the Local Governments. The Supreme Court judgement must not be thwarted, and every effort at doing so will be met with serious resistance.

“We are watching the situations at Alimosho Local Government, and we want to say that the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any constitutional rights to suspend the Chair! According to the Justice Garba Lawal-led Supreme Court judgement of July 11, 2024; the Local Government has been granted full “administrative and financial Autonomy!” This means that the Lagos State House of Assembly is illegally interfering into the affairs of the Alimosho Local Government. It is only the Assembly of Councillors that have the rights to suspend the Alimosho Chair.

“Meanwhile, as a group of pro-democracy movements that is outrightly against corruption in government, we urge the Lagos State House of Assembly to publicize evidences of corruption as it alleged against the Alimosho Local Government Chair. We are interested in these allegations, and our members in Alimosho are ready to take up the LG Chairman . This is why we call on the Lagos State House of Assembly to fulfill its responsibility to the public by exposing the evidence of corruption as it has alleged against the Alimosho Local Government Chair.

“However, we also call on the relevant anti-corruption agencies like the ICPC to look into the allegations and counter-allegations by both the Lagos State House of Assembly, and the Alimosho Local Government Chair. The people of Lagos deserve to know and see evidences of the several corrupt activities of the Alimosho Local Government Chair as alleged by the Obasa-led House of Assembly. The people of Lagos also deserve to know and see clear evidence that shows that the Lagos State House of Assembly is illegally interfering into the financial affairs of the Alimosho Local Government by asking the Chair to share the revenue with a popular Land Grabber at Iyana-paja. We must State also that Speaker Midashiru Obasa has been in serious financial impunities as exposed massively by Sahara Reporters and other newspapers especially in 2020. In terms of financial impropriety, we all know that Speaker Obasa has been exposed severally and he has been indicted, but the EFCC till date has failed to prosecute him. Recall that on June 7, 2020, Speaker Obasa admitted his office used #1.1million to print invitation cards. Meanwhile, Sahara Reporters also exposed how 64 bank accounts were linked to the Speaker’s BVN. And also in an October 7th publication, Speaker Obasa was exposed for receiving #51.7 million Naira eleven (11) times on the same day. These and several other revelations had shown the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker as a public officer emeshed in serious financial impunity. This is why it is not amazing that the same Speaker led a House sitting where resolutions were made that the Alimosho Local Government Chair should make an agreement with “Mr Ejigbadero;” popular son of the famous Land Grabber who was sentenced and prosecuted for murder in the 70s. For the records the resolutions were communicated to the Alimosho Chair in a letter coded on LSHA/LM/C/49/Vol.II/159 on 8th, June, 2024 stating categorically on House Resolutions 2 that “Alimosho Local Government Area should embark on an agreement with Mr. Ejigbadero Abiodun for collection of market tolls in Iyana-paja market.” This resolution was duly signed by O.T. Onafeko, the Clerk of the House.

“We posit that the EFCC should do it’s job by coming to rout the House of Corruption and bring The Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly to scrutiny . The monies belong to Lagos State people and we should all care how these funds are spent as people have been in serious economic hardships while public officials lavish the wealth on their personal greed.

“The Civil Society For Total Democracy (CSTD) is publicly endorsing the Local Government Autonomy and we call on the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Lagos to rise and defend the Supreme Court judgement. We also call on the people of Alimosho to rise and take charge of both the politics and finances of its Local Government. Enough is enough of those days when the Local Government is a tool of funds swindling and money laundering by the state government and such Cabals who deprive the people of democratic participations at the Local levels. The Supreme Court judgement is a victory for the people to assert governance from below, and this must never be arm-twisted by any forces; whether it’s the state government or the state house of Assembly.

“Finally, we call on Lagos State people to start preparing to vote in New parties that truly understand and are committed to political participation and democracy at the grassroots. We believe that the ruling party in Lagos is a haven of tyrants, thugs, land grabbers, and such other anti-people elements. The CSTD is one of the only gatherings of revolutionary parties and groups that truly believes in the ideals of governance from below. We are the only formation where you can find groups that believes that governance must tlbe responsible to all the people from Streets to towns, and to all levels. We stand against the attempts to stifle the Local Governments administratively and financially as the Obasa-led House of Assembly is wont to doing. We also stand for administrative and financial transparency at the Local councils, thereby asking for more popular participations by Alimosho and Lagos State people generally into the activities and affairs of the Local councils. We all must bandy together to defend the democratic ideals and the advantages in the July 11th Supreme Court judgement asserting the Autonomy of the Local Governments!”