Lagos State Govt Asks 57 Council Chairmen to Quit Their Office

Gov. Babatunde Fashola

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday directed all the chairmen and other political appointees in the 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to quit office with immediate effect.

The directive was contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, stating that the tenure of all political appointees in all the councils expired on Tuesday.

The statement said the three-year statutory tenure of all council chairmen and councillors in the state “expires on October 28,” which it said, made it mandatory for them to vacate their offices in line with the directive.

The statement added that all affected officials, including supervisors, council secretaries and other political appointees “are legally required to vacate their offices by close of business on the same day.”

“Chairmen are hereby directed to co-ordinate the exercise and hand over to the Council Managers in their respective local governments who will take charge of the administration until further notice.”

The statement clarified that the new political officials “will resume office after the next local government elections to be scheduled and conducted by the state Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) upon completion of the continuous voters’ registration, ward re-delineation and polling booth re-distribution exercise embarked upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

However, THISDAY investigation revealed that the state government had concluded plan to constitute a five-man committee to take over the administration of councils  in the state from the council managers next month.

A top state official said the five-man committee would comprise Executive Secretary, one Deputy Executive Secretary and three members, who he said, would run the affairs of the local council until elections “are conducted.”

He explained that of the 57 council chairmen that vacated office yesterday, only 19 of them would come back as the executive secretaries of their local governments, though subject to the ratification of the party leaders.

He added that the 19 council chairmen “will only return as executive secretaries because they just concluded their first term. On this note, they will be given concession to serve in the capacity of council executive secretaries. But their appointment would be contingent on their performance in office.

“The party leaders in the 19 local governments will vote whether the affected council chairman should be appointed. The criterion for their appointment is a function of their performance in office,” the source explained.

Last year, the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), formally wrote the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, demanding tenure extension for the council chairmen.

But the request for the tenure extension was said to be part of the game plan which the All Progressives Congress (APC) had put in place to dominantly re-exert its politically contested influence in the state ahead the 2015 general election.

A source said the game plan was premised on the likelihood of perceived conflict and disaffection, which it was said, might result from the conduct of the primaries for elective positions in all the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs if the council elections hold in October 2014.

According to him, the party leaders do not want to give chance to any situation that might give rise to grievance, disaffection and protests ahead the 2015 general election, which will hold five months away from the 2014 local council elections.