The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON), on Thursday, decried the move by Mr. Kolade Alabi, Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State, to act in disregard to pending court case.
The Chairman of ALGON BoT, Mr. Shaban Shuaibu, made the condemnation at a press briefing in Abuja.
"It has come to our attention that one Mr. Alabi Kolade David, the Chairman of Bariga Development Area, who had falsely assumed the position of National President of ALGON for the past four years ago; has been holding meetings with some five Local Government Council chairmen from across the country."
Shuaibu said his aim was to "legitimise" his further stay in office or to wrongly and unconstitutionally install another person as a surrogate, just as he had done for a while.
"ALGON, comprising 774 Local Governments in Nigeria, is an integral institution enshrined in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, with further reinforcement in Article 4 of the ALGON Acts which clearly show that Bariga Development Area is not part of the 774 Local Governments.
"First and foremost, it is instructive to let the public know that, since Mr. Alabi's wrongful claim to the office of the presidency, ALGON has been immersed in series of court cases.
"Thus, any activity carried out by any of the parties in the name of ALGON until the final determination of the cases, is null and void," Shuaibu said.
According to him, in the interim, the BoT is mandated to hold and carry out all responsibilities and oversee the affairs of ALGON.
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"It is also enshrined in the ALGON constitution that the registered board of trustees are charged to conduct elections into leadership within the shortest period possible.
"It is crucial to highlight that legal recourse has been sought at a Federal High Court in Abuja to address this grievous situation.
"The court's judgment is being awaited and as the registered trustees of ALGON, we will continue to safeguard our constitutional responsibilities while awaiting pronouncement of the court," he said.
The chairman, who urged all stakeholders to remain vigilant and steadfast in upholding the sanctity of the democratic processes, said ALGON, as a vital component of governance structure, must operate within the confines of the law, with leadership duly elected from the grassroots level.
"Let it be known that any attempts to subvert the principles of democracy will be met with resolute action, as we remain committed to upholding the rule of law and preserving the integrity of our democratic institutions," he added.
Shuaibu, therefore, called on the inspector-general of police, the director-general of Department of State Service and other security agencies to call Alabi to order to avoid heating up the polity.
It would be recalled that that the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1609/2023 currently before Justice Inyang Ekwo, had been adjourned until April 30 for judgement.
