Politics
ALGON BoT condemns Kolade Alabi’s move to act against court order
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON), has condemned the move by Mr. Kolade Alabi David, Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State, to act prejudice to pending court case.
The Chairman of ALGON BoT, Hon. Shaban Ohinoyi Shuaibu, made the condemnation at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja .
According to Shuaibu, Mr Alabi David, had falsely assumed the position of National President of ALGON, and has been holding meetings with some five Local Government Council chairmen from across the country in order to legitimise his further stay in office or to wrongly and unconstitutionally install another person as a surrogate just as he had done for a while, despite awaiting the court judgement.
“it has come to our attention that one Mr. Alabi Kolade David, the Chairman of Bariga Development Area, who had falsely assumed the position of National President of ALGON for the past four years ago; has been holding meetings with some five Local Government Council chairmen from across the country.”
“ALGON, comprising of 774 Local Governments in Nigeria, is an integral institution enshrined in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, with further reinforcement in Article 4 of the ALGON Acts which clearly show that Bariga Development Area is not part of the 774 Local Governments.
“First and foremost, it is instructive to let the public know that, since Mr Alabi’s wrongful claim to the office of the presidency, ALGON has been emersed in series of court cases.
“Thus, any activity carried out by any of the parties in the name of ALGON until the final determination of the cases, is null and void,” Shuaibu.
According to the BoT chairman, in the interim, the BoT is mandated to hold and carry out all responsibilities and oversees the affairs of ALGON.
He also explained that, it is enshrined in the ALGON constitution that the registered board of trustees are charged to conduct elections into leadership within the shortest period possible.
“It is crucial to highlight that legal recourse has been sought at a Federal High Court in Abuja to address this grievous situation.
“The court’s judgment is being awaited and as the registered trustees of ALGON, we will continue to safeguard our constitutional responsibilities while awaiting pronouncement of the court,” he said.
The chairman, urged all stakeholders to remain vigilant and steadfast in upholding the sanctity of the democratic processes, noted that ALGON, as a vital component of governance structure, must operate within the confines of the law, with leadership duly elected from the grassroots level.
“Let it be known that any attempts to subvert the principles of democracy will be met with resolute action, as we remain committed to upholding the rule of law and preserving the integrity of our democratic institutions,” he added.
Shuaibu, therefore, called on the inspector-general of police, the director-general of Department of State Service and other security agencies to call Alabi to order to avoid heating up the polity.
“We therefore invite the Inspector General of Police , DG DSS and other security agencies to curb the excesses of ALABI KOLADE DAVID, to avoid heating up the Polity,” he said.
The briefing was attended by BOT members including Honorable Chukwudi Fred Ezinwa (BOT Secretary) and Honorable Ben Kure (BOT PRO).
Recall, the court had fixed April on or before 30 for judgment in a case seeking a declaration that Honorable Akolade David Alabi is not qualified to be national chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).
The claimants which included the BOT members, argue that Alabi, who was chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area in Lagos State at the time, cannot be president of the association as Bariga is not among the country’s 774 Local Government Areas.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1609/2023 and filed by Barrister Bartholomew Opara, argued that
Alabi had been removed by ALGON’s National Executive Council in 2019 but he keeps parading himself as chairman.
While Alabi’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, filed a counter affidavit and preliminary objection urging the court to decline jurisdiction on the matter.
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