Advocacy For Good Governance and Transparency (AGGT), a Civil Society Organisation, has urged the outgoing chairmen of the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils to avoid actions or utterances that can heat up the polity.
The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Donald Nwanchukwu, who made the call at a news conference, on Monday in Abuja also appealed to the chairmen to desist from unnecessary litigations concerning tenure elongation.
He alleged that some of the chairmen misinformed the public that they had obtained an appeal court judgment on June 10, restraining the planed inauguration of the new area councils chairmen slated for Tuesday, June 14.
“No selfish individual or group of people should think that they can manipulate our judicial system. The recent judgment that set aside the tenure elongation in the FCT and ordered the FCT minister to swear in the chairmen elected is very clear.
“It described the tenure elongation judgment as erroneously entered without jurisdiction due to misinterpretation of facts and was set aside in its entirety.
“So what is the desperation of some set of people by moving around with fake appeal rumour and where and which court did they obtain any appeal, whereby its obvious that the judgment did not give any room for any appeal.”
Nwanchukwu appealed to the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammed Bello not to succumb to any intimidation from selfish politicians and lawyers bent on causing crisis in the territory.
“We are calling on the FCT minister to go ahead and swear in the elected chairmen and their councillors as planned for Tuesday, June 14.
“The FCT Administration has been at a standstill for too long because of the selfish outgoing council chairmen who do not want to leave office after their tenure ended on May 19, 2022.
“The minister should prove that he is not a push-around by ignoring any injunction against the swearing-in of the elected chairmen and their councillors.”
He called on the FCT residents not to relent in their support for the FCT administration, adding that they should continue to have faith in the administration.
“We will no longer sit down and watch anybody or selfish politicians continue to cause confusion in the territory. ”
Earlier, the National Secretary of the group, Mr Hassan Dogo, warned those instigating the chairmen to desist in the interest of peace and progress of the FCT.