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Controversy trails judgment on
allocations for Lagos LGs
*AD asks NASS to list
new LGs
*George berates Tinubu for claiming victory
By Lekan Sanni (Lagos)
and David Atalese (Ado-Ekiti)
Last week’s
ruling by the Supreme Court ordering the federal government to release all
funds accruing to councils in Lagos State have been the subject of much
controversy. While some believe that the unanimous judgment is a victory for
true federalism, others interpreted the judgment as otherwise.
Basking in the victory,
the Lagos State chapter of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) at the weekend
called on the National Assembly to respect Friday’s judgment of the
Supreme Court by listing the new councils created by the state to avoid further
political tension. AD said doing so would redress the injustice inflicted on
the state in the past over the creation of new local governments.
But National Vice
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, Chief Bode
George, has given a hard knock on the Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
for allegedly conducting elections into the state local governments and refused
to announce its results.
Reacting to the Supreme
Court verdict in Ado-Ekiti, when he was answering reporters’ questions,
George described the council elections as the greatest joke in the present
democratic governance, adding that Tinubu should be called to order in order
not to mislead the people of Lagos state again.
In a statement signed
by its Publicity Secretary, Toyin Caxton-Martins, AD urged the National
Assembly “to stand for equity and justice for each and every component
unit of the federation.”
The party said the 20
council structures in Lagos is a cheat on the state because the state is more
populated than the old Kano State from where Jigawa was created. In between the
two states, Kano and Jigawa, there are 71 councils with Kano having 45 and
Jigawa 26.
AD said the state
needed more money than any other to maintain and expand the infrastructure
needed for the migrants who daily flood the state from other parts of the
country.
But Bode George said
the judgment of the Supreme Court was a great victory for the PDP
“because we told him that he has no constitutional right to create local
governments and we have now been vindicated”.
George told reporters
that since the highest court has ruled against his decision to create local
governments he must be prepared to conduct fresh elections in the existing 20
local government areas of the state.
Describing Tinubu as a
“perpetual liar” George said Tinubu has mortgaged the states’
heritage because he has destroyed everything he met on ground when he became
governor in 2003”. He told reporters that the governor wanted to join the
PDP after he has destroyed his party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the
Yoruba socio-political organisation , Afenifere, “but we told him in
clear terms that we don’t want people of doubtful characters in our
party”.
He stated that before
Tinubu could join the PDP, he must redeem himself “because we can not
accept such nuisance in our party, the PDP is not for people like him who has
thrown his reputation into the winds”.
The party said more
local governments are needed with commensurate funding to absorb the pressure.
the lawmakers to consider the agitation for more councils as part of the
people’s desire for grassroots governance.
The party said on the
passage of law No. 5 of 2002 by the House of Assembly that created 37 new
councils, a formal request for the listing of the new councils was made to the
defunct National Assembly. The Speaker, Mr. Jokotola Pelumi, has advised the
Federal Government to release the seized council allocation in compliance with
the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Reacting to the judgment, Pelumi said “respect for
court decisions, especially the apex court is the only way to uphold the
constitution and guarantee the survival of democracy in Nigeria.”
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