Lateef Fagemi, the Minister of Justice Attorney General of the Federation has described the suspension of 18 local government chairmen in Edo state as illegal and unconstitutional.
The nation’s number one law officer said on Thursday, that the state House of Assembly has no longer power to suspend LG chairmen, citing the July 2024 Supreme Court judgment.
The AGF response comes on the heels of the suspension of chairmen by the state Assembly based on a petition by the state governor, Monday Okpebholo that they disobeyed him.
The governor had four days ago written a letter to the Assembly complaining that his directive to the 18 LG chairmen to submit their financial positions to the state government , were not obeyed.
Governor Okpebholo, who accused the chairmen of subordination urged the Assembly to look into the matter, to determine the way forward on the issue. The Assembly followed up by suspending the chairmen for two months.
Reacting to the suspension, the AGF said the state government no longer have powers to suspend LG chief executives following the July 2024 landmark judgment of the supreme court which granted autonomy to the 776 LGAs in the country.
According to Fagbemi, the legislative arm of the LGAs are the ones empowered to remove the chairmen if any infraction is committed.
He explained that neither the the state governors nor State Houses of Assembly have powers to remove the chairmen based on the ruling of the nation’s apex court.
Fagbemi said,“I am aware that since July 11 when the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment, local government administration has taken a new turn, different from the old order.
“At any rate, we are still studying the situation but before final reaction, it must be stated categorically and emphatically that for now, local government chairmen can only be removed through the legislative arm of the local government itself and not the State House of Assembly.“
The magazine reported that the apex court had in a landmark judgment in July this year ruled that the positions of the 776 LGAs in the country are constitutionally guaranteed, following a suit filed by the AGF at the Supreme Court challenging the overbearing influence of state governments on the third tier of government.
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