An advocacy group, the Lagos People’s Assembly, on Monday called on the Lagos State House of Assembly not to take any action capable of undermining local government autonomy.
The group, in a peaceful protest to the Lagos Assembly, said that the practice of lawmakers querying and sanctioning Local Government administrators was in total contradiction to council autonomy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lagos Assembly on Monday, suspended the Chairman of the Alimosho Local Government Area, Mr Jelili Sulaimon, indefinitely over alleged misconduct, among others.
Sulaimon was suspended in a unanimous vote by the lawmakers over an alleged non-compliance, defiance and unyielding attitude to the legislative House.
The protesters, who chanted some songs, carried placards with various inscriptions urging respect for autonomy of local governments.
Some of the inscriptions included: “Don’t undermine LG autonomy”, “The Supreme Court Verdict is Supreme”, “Respect Supreme Court Ruling,” “LAHA, Respect Local Government Autonomy,” “Obasa, Let the Local Government Breath,” among others.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr Kola Emmanuel, said that the Lagos Assembly should not in anyway legislate on matters under the jurisdiction of councils’ legislative arms.
Emmanuel, the Deputy Speaker of the group, said that President Bola Tinubu had done well to pursue autonomy for local government, saying Lagos Assembly should not be seen to be working on the contrary.
He said: “We want to equally believe that Lagos State House of Assembly will never want the National Assembly to take over their responsibility as legislators.
“If the Supreme Court has deemed it fit to grant autonomy to every local government, we see no reason why the Lagos State House of Assembly will want to contradict what the Supreme Court has said.
“We are saying no to any step to usurp the role of councillors in firing council chairmen, managing and auditing revenues in each council.”
Emmanuel said that the Lagos Assembly was putting itself into playing the role of councillors in some local governments, adding that, it was unjust to do so.
“We are saying that the laws of the land must be obeyed. You cannot be the state lawmakers and the councillors of each local government at the same time.
”It is not possible. We will not allow that,” he said
According to him, the group will not allow the National Assembly to take over the responsibilities of the state lawmakers the same way it will not allow the Lagos Assembly to take over the responsibilities of councillors.
Also speaking, Mr Shina Loremikan, the National Coordinator, Campaign Against Impunity, said that since the Supreme Court had granted autonomy to local government, the Lagos Assembly should adhere in letter and spirit.
“But for the State House of Assembly to sit and be giving query to a local government contradicts the position of the Supreme Court.
“Likewise, the National Assembly cannot sanction a governor or a speaker of the State House of Assembly because they are independent,” Loremikan said.
The rights activist said that some local government chairmen were already under the Lagos Assembly’s watch for sanctioning..
According to him, any information about wrongdoing of any local government chairman should be sent to the legislative arm of the local government for appropriate actions.
“Let them sanction their boss. The position of local government chairman is an elected position.
“If there is anything that the chairman of the local government has done that is wrong, the people must know,” he said. (NAN)
