Fron Sodiq Omolaoye, Abuja
As the tenure of the current local government administration winds down, a group loyal to the All Progressives Congress, the Progressive Group for Democracy (PGD), has raised alarm over attempts by some local government officials in Lagos to run for unconstitutional third terms in the forthcoming council elections.
The group described the move as a clear violation of the Constitution and called on President Bola Tinubu to publicly oppose the dangerous trend.
Raising the alarm during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, PGD National Coordinator, Aladesanmi Abiodun Salawu, alleged that officials in Agbado Oke-Odo and Ikosi Isheri Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) are exploiting legal technicalities to extend their tenure in contravention of the Nigerian Constitution.
He noted that the affected officials had previously assumed office following the death of elected chairpersons, took the oath of office, and later contested and won full terms.
According to him, their fresh bid to seek another term amounts to a third term, saying that the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 bars individuals from seeking a third term after completing a predecessor’s tenure and winning a subsequent election.
He said “Today, we stand at a very dangerous crossroads. The same anti-democratic forces that our heroes fought against during the June 12 struggle are re-emerging in Lagos State. It’s wearing different masks but executing the same sinister agenda – tenure elongation.
“In Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA and Ikosi Isheri LCDA, we are witnessing a calculated attempt to normalize constitutional violations through the backdoor. These 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 legal technicality.
“The Fourth Alteration Bill No. 16 signed by former President Buhari in 2018 leaves no room for ambiguity. Once you’ve taken an oath of office after succeeding a deceased officeholder, and then contest and win another term, you cannot seek a third term.
Salawu noted that the Nigerian Constitution is supreme over all other laws, including the Lagos State Local Government, adding that the Administration Law. Section 7 of the Constitution guarantees democratically elected local government councils.
He added: “As a pro-democracy group, we are remembered of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s fierce opposition to Obasanjo’s third term agenda. President Tinubu stood firmly against constitutional manipulation then. Where is the President voice now
“It would be very disastrous to maintain a deafening silence while your political base becomes the laboratory for testing unconstitutional tenure elongation. This precedent should not be set for Nigeria’s democracy.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu, as the chief security officer of Lagos State, also has a constitutional duty to uphold the rule of law. His silence on this matter is not just concerning. it is complicity.
He called on President Tinubu to publicly reject the third term agenda in Lagos local councils while urging the Attorney General of the Federation to issue an immediate advisory on term limits for local government administrations.
Salawu further called on the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to demonstrate true independence by immediately disqualifying all candidates seeking an unconstitutional third term.
“These individuals in Agbado Oke-Odo and kosi Isheri LCDAs must withdraw their candidacy immediately. We are not making a request, we are stating what the constitution already mandates.
“The Lagos Society for Good Governance will utilize every legal means available to challenge this dangerous precedent. We will mobilize civil society organizations, approach the courts, and if necessary, exercise our constitutional right to peaceful protest”, he stated.
