THE Progressive Group for Democracy, PGD, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to grant a third term to some council chairmen in the forthcoming Local Government Council election in Lagos State.
National Coordinator of the group, Aladesanmi Salawu, who raised the alarm at a media briefing in Abuja, claimed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates in Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA and Ikosi Isheri LCDA are ineligible for the election.
According to him, the two candidates who have “assumed office following the death of elected chairpersons” are now attempting to perpetuate themselves in power beyond the constitutionally allowed limit.
Salawu said: “Today, we stand at a very dangerous crossroads. The same anti-democratic forces that our heroes fought against during the June 12 struggle are re-emerging in Lagos State. It’s wearing different masks but executing the same sinister agenda – tenure elongation.
“The facts are unambiguous: In Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA and Ikosi Isheri LCDA, we are witnessing a calculated attempt to normalise constitutional violations through the back door.
“These individuals who assumed office following the death of elected chairpersons are now attempting to perpetuate themselves in power beyond the constitutional limit.”
“Let me be crystal clear – this is a third-term agenda disguised as a legal technicality.
“The Fourth Alteration Bill No. 16, signed by former President Buhari in 2018, leaves no room for ambiguity. Once you’ve taken an oath of office after succeeding a deceased officeholder, and then contest and win another term, you cannot seek a third term.
“As a pro-democracy group, we remember President Bola Tinubu’s fierce opposition to Obasanjo’s third-term agenda. President Tinubu stood firmly against constitutional manipulation then.
“Where is the President’s voice now? It would be very disastrous to maintain a deafening silence while your political base becomes the laboratory for testing unconstitutional tenure elongation. This precedent should not be set for Nigeria’s democracy.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the chief security officer of Lagos State, also has a constitutional duty to uphold the rule of law. His silence on this matter is not just concerning – it is complicity.
“President Tinubu must publicly reject this third-term agenda in Lagos local councils and the Attorney General of the Federation must issue an immediate advisory on term limits for local government administrations.
“LASIEC must disqualify all candidates seeking an unconstitutional third term.
“Also, these individuals in Agbado Oke-Odo and ikosi Isheri LCDAs must withdraw their candidacy immediately.
“We are not making a request – we are stating what the constitution already mandates.”
