Lagos Assembly Defends Suspension of Alimosho LG Chairman, Clarifies Misinterpretation of Supreme Court Ruling
The Lagos State House of Assembly has asserted that the suspension of Alimosho Local Government Chairman, Jelili Sulaimon, was legal and adhered to due process. This statement came in response to claims by Sulaimon’s legal representative, Dr. Abdul Mahmud, who called the suspension “illegal and unconstitutional,” citing a recent Supreme Court ruling affirming local government autonomy.
Mahmud, representing Levite Solicitors and Arbitrators, criticized the Assembly, arguing that the suspension violated the Supreme Court’s decision on local government independence under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
In a counterstatement, the Assembly’s House Committee on Information Chairman, Olukayode Ogundipe, defended the legality of the suspension. He emphasized that the Assembly acted within its constitutional rights and Lagos State law, which grants it the authority to suspend or remove local government officials.
Ogundipe clarified that the Assembly’s actions were based on established legal frameworks, specifically citing the Lagos State Local Government Administration Law. This law allows the House to pass a resolution suspending any local government official, provided the resolution is backed by a simple majority vote.
He further distinguished between financial autonomy for local governments, which the Supreme Court ruling addressed, and the administrative powers vested in the Assembly. According to Ogundipe, Sulaimon’s lawyer misinterpreted the ruling, failing to recognize the Assembly’s constitutional role in regulating local government operations.
Ogundipe also noted that this was not Sulaimon’s first suspension, recalling a similar action in 2021 due to alleged misconduct. He urged the public to avoid being misled by emotional rhetoric, advising them to focus on the legal realities of the situation.
The Assembly called for calm among Alimosho residents, urging them not to be swayed by arguments that conflict with established law.
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