Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister for Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has warned that illegal removal of local government chairmen by governors was a treasonable offence.
Fagbemi spoke in Abuja during the opening ceremony of an event organised by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), yesterday.
His remarks came amid ongoing crisis in Osun State over the status of sacked local government chairpersons. The controversy began following a Court of Appeal ruling on February 10 regarding the officials that were removed from office in 2022.
Fagbemi, represented by Tijani Gazali, director of civil appeals in the ministry, condemned the growing trend of governors interfering in local government administration.
He accused governors and state assemblies of acting in defiance of the constitution and a Supreme Court ruling that prohibits them from interfering with the local government affairs.
“It is unfortunate that over the last few decades in Nigeria, in plain contradiction of the constitutional mandates of state governments, local governments have now seen a great decline as they are nothing but a mere appendage of the state governments, merely existing as a means of supplying extra funds for the state governments.
“The most unfortunate of the decline is the unconstitutional connivance by state governors and their state houses of assemblies to willing democratically elected local government structures without recourse to the rule of law and replacing them with their candidates.
“Local government structures had almost become extinct in Nigeria and that necessitated the action taken by President Bola Tinubu to immediately intervene through the filing of a suit in the Supreme Court in 2024.
“Despite the judgment of the Supreme Court outlawing the illegal removal of democratically elected local government councils by state governors, a few states have continued to carry on with this illegality. This act is tantamount to treason and must be treated as such.”
Similarly, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Plum Olajengbesi, has warned that any attempt to forcefully take over the government of Osun State will lead to unimaginable chaos and anarchy.
The human rights activist specifically urged the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to tread softly and toe the part of justice and peace in the political crisis emanating from the running of local governments in Osun State.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Olajengbesi faulted the forceful take over of local governments in Osun by some groups linked to the APC in the state
He said the forceful take over was like a coup, adding that even if the actors have judgement in their favour, it was completely wrong to take laws into their hands under the guise of enforcing Court of Appeal judgement
The lawyer insisted that there are procedures for judgement execution in the country, adding that the way and manner the actors in the Osun local government crisis acted was in breach of laws and usurpation of functions of those empowered to enforce court judgement.
By the unfolding local government crisis, Olajengbesi said democracy was facing another great challenge in the sense that disregard for laws has become the order of the day on the part of APC members
“You cannot on your own execute judgement; deliberate attempt to commit coup is what is unfolding in Osun State. Judgement of the Court of Appeal is being deliberately misinterpreted to suit their actions.”
Giving insight into what led to the local government takeover crisis, the lawyer said that he had perused through the Court of Appeal judgement and did not find anywhere where the Court made consequential order for the reinstatement of the former local government chairmen.
He said the issue of reinstatement was not treated by the Court of Appeal on the reasoning by the court itself that the issue has been overtaken by event and thus became academic exercise.
He warned against using dishonesty and blackmail against the Court of Appeal judgement to set Osun on fire and forcefully takeover the political leadership in the state
He praised the governor of the state, Senator Ademola Adeleke, for asking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the state to stay away from the local governments to avoid unnecessary blood shed that may arise in the process.
The lawyer then appealed to the people of the state to be peaceful and be vigilant in the face of provocation, adding that events would soon show that Nigeria is not a banana republic.
