Lawyer sues Lagos over council appointments

Aggrieved over the appointment of sole administrators for the 57 local government areas and local council development areas in Lagos state, a Lagos- based lawyer, Tope Alabi has sued Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

He is seeking for a declaration that the appointments violated the 1999 Constitution and are therefore illegal, null and void.

Besides the governor, other respondents in the suit are the Lagos Attorney-General and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Alabi said the councils were not parastatals or boards to which the governor could make such appointments, but the third tier of government, which must be governed democratically through elected chairmen and councilors.

He is praying the court to declare that the state has no power under the Constitution to appoint a sole administrator to run the affairs of any council.

The applicant wants the court to restrain RMAFC from disbursing funds meant for the councils to the governor or any other state official until there is an election.

Alabi sought an order nullifying the appointment of sole administrators on June 13 for being unconstitutional, as well as an order mandating the respondents to account for all the monies disbursed to the council areas.

The lawyer also sought an order directing the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to conduct council election within 30 days of the suits determination.