{"id":1643,"date":"2013-04-06T19:40:58","date_gmt":"2013-04-06T19:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/6-yr-tenure-go-to-court-deputy-speaker-tells-falana\/"},"modified":"2013-04-06T19:40:58","modified_gmt":"2013-04-06T19:40:58","slug":"6-yr-tenure-go-to-court-deputy-speaker-tells-falana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/6-yr-tenure-go-to-court-deputy-speaker-tells-falana\/","title":{"rendered":"6-Yr Tenure: Go To Court, Deputy Speaker Tells Falana"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Taiwo Kolawole, says the lawmakers are not scared of the threat by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, to sue them if the alleged extension of tenure for chairmen of local government councils in the state is upheld by the lawmakers.<\/p>\n

Mr. Falana, who alleged that the House was planning a six-year term from the usual three-year term for council chairmen and councillors, had threatened to sue the House and the state governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, if the proposal for tenure extension in a bill seeking to consolidate all laws on Local Government Administration scales through and becomes law.<\/p>\n

To buttress his point, Falana had cited cases relating to tenure elongation and warned that, “if the dangerous bill is passed by the House and signed into law by Governor Raji Fashola, SAN, we shall not hesitate to challenge its legal validity in court without any further notice.”<\/p>\n

Speaking with P.M.NEWS<\/em> in his office, Kolawole said Falana could go to court since it is part of what makes democracy interesting.<\/p>\n

He however expressed disappointment in the fiery lawyer for pre-empting the outcome of the consideration for tenure elongation.<\/p>\n

According to Kolawole, “Mr. Falana is not supposed to warn us. Lawmaking is not his duty. He is a social crusader and rights activist.<\/p>\n

“There’s nothing new in challenging our laws. We have not categorically said we are extending the tenure of council chairmen in the state.<\/p>\n

“He cannot read the mind of the House. So he is wrong even though I do not want to join issues with anyone on this.”<\/p>\n

While noting that the House is made up of 40 members whose opinions count on every issue relating to policies of the state and the people,\u00a0 Kolawole stressed that “if those clamouring for extension are more than 20, then we would have an extension for local government.<\/p>\n

“Falana has the ample opportunity to go to court and challenge that. It is still a lawmaking process, but he must not pre-empt us. That is wrong and unfortunate for our democracy.”<\/p>\n

Falana had argued that the three-year tenure of chairmen and councillors fixed by the Lagos state LG Law, 2001 cannot be elongated by any amendment whatsoever, adding: “It is pertinent to remind the members of the Lagos State House of Assembly that their predecessors unanimously kicked against the tenure elongation of President Olusegun Obasanjo through a fraudulent constitutional amendment.”<\/p>\n

\u2014Eromosele Ebhomele<\/em><\/p>\n

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