The Lagos State House of Assembly has affirmed that the suspension of Jelili Sulaimon, the Chairman of Alimosho Local Government, over allegations of misconduct, was carried out in accordance with legal procedures, countering claims made by his solicitor.
Sulaimon’s lawyer, Dr. Abdul Mahmud, condemned the suspension, labeling it as “illegal and unconstitutional.” In a statement, Mahmud criticized the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, for what he deemed a violation of the Supreme Court’s affirmation of local government autonomy under the 1999 Constitution.
In response, the Assembly’s Chairman for the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Olukayode Ogundipe, dismissed the lawyer’s assertions as “rhetoric and half-baked details.” He emphasized that the decision to suspend Sulaimon was made in accordance with the laws governing local governments and the powers granted to the Assembly by the Constitution.
Ogundipe stated, “The attention of the Lagos State House of Assembly has been drawn to a statement supposedly signed by Dr. Abdul Mahmud… claiming to condemn the unanimous agreement of the Assembly to suspend his client.” He further clarified that local government structures are established through strict legal processes, highlighting the Assembly’s constitutional authority to regulate local government activities.
According to Ogundipe, the 1999 Constitution guarantees the existence of democratically elected local government councils, and the Assembly is responsible for creating laws that ensure their proper governance. He pointed out that sections of the Constitution outline the Assembly’s role in establishing local governments and providing statutory allocations of public revenue to them.
The situation has led to a conflict between the suspended council chairman and his vice, as tensions rise over control of the local government office.