President Bola Tinubu and Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi were urged on Tuesday by a political organization called the Progressive Group for Democracy to prevent Lagos Local Government chairmen who have served two terms in office from running for reelection in accordance with the constitution.
Additionally, they demanded that any candidate attempting to extend their term in violation of the constitution be disqualified by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, citing the failed third-term attempt of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as justification.
At a news conference in Abuja, the demand was made.
Two days ago, BASEMEDIA NEWS revealed that 418 local government candidates were approved by the Lagos chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress to run in the July 12 council elections.
However, our correspondent learned that Abdulganiyu Obasa, the son of Mudasiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, did not attend the screening, which took place from Tuesday to Thursday.
According to a trustworthy source, certain APC leaders asked Abdulganiyu to resign.
Aladesanmi Salawu, the group’s national coordinator and leader of the protesting stakeholders, responded on Tuesday by warning that some anti-democratic elements that are resurfacing in Lagos are frantically looking for a third-term agenda for some of the LG chairs.
Salawu, however, warned that the Fourth Alteration Bill No. 16 signed by former President Buhari in 2018 was clear and leaves no room for ambiguity.
He said, “Once you’ve taken an oath of office after succeeding a deceased officeholder, then contest and win another term, you can not seek a third term.
“Some individuals who assumed office following the death of elected chairpersons are now attempting to perpetuate themselves in power beyond the constitutional limit. This is a third-term agenda disguised as a legal technicality. We are not making a request – we are stating what the Constitution already mandates.
“President Tinubu must publicly reject this third-term agenda in Lagos local councils, and the Attorney General of the Federation must issue an immediate advisory on term limits for local government administrations.”
Continuing, the stakeholders stressed that the Nigerian Constitution is supreme over all other laws, including the Lagos State Local Government Administration Law.
The group also warned that if Tinubu, Fagbemi and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu fail to reject the move, they will be forced to seek every legal means available to challenge the ‘dangerous precedent.’
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