By our Reporter
Jelili Sulaimon, chairman of the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, has been suspended indefinitely by the State House of Assembly.
The chairman was suspended on Monday at the plenary in a unanimous vote by the lawmakers over alleged non-compliance, defiance and unyielding attitude to the legislative house.
The house committee on Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chairman, Sanni Okanlawon, moving a motion for his suspension, recalled that in April 2024, pandemonium broke out in the Iyana-Ipaja axis of Alimosho Local Government leading to the death of one Micheal Ajayi.
Okanlawon, whose committee was saddled with the responsibility to investigate the cause of the pandemonium, said that it was discovered that Jelili masterminded the chaos.He asserted that, all stakeholders involved in the issue were invited, but Jelili had continued to show acts of misconduct to the committee of the House.
He highlighted the council chairman’s failure to adhere to the Assembly’s directives and his mismanagement of public funds.
He, therefore, called for Jelili’s immediate suspension in line with relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“He should be suspended immediately while the vice chairman, Akin Johnson, takes over with immediate effect,” he prayed.
The Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, while supporting the call for Jelili’s suspension, added that the action would make other local government chairmen sit well.
“The Alimosho council chairman does not follow procurement processes or the budget. There have been a lot of misconducts from him and I support that the chairman be suspended indefinitely,” he said.
Hon. Nureni Akinsanya, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts for Local Government, in his contribution, referred to the report submitted by the State Auditor-General concerning the activities of Jelili.
The report underscored the council chairman’s consistent non-compliance with financial regulations, with significant irregularities in his records.
Akinsanya, emphasising these discrepancies, supported Okanlawon’s call for Jelili’s suspension.
While Hon. Ladi Ajomale expressed surprise that the council chairman had been recalcitrant despite previous reports detailing his alleged financial mismanagement.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the sitting, directed the Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, to communicate the Assembly’s resolution to all relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers resolved that the vice chairman of the council, Akinpelu Johnson, should take over the running of the local government’s affairs.
The House further instructed the management of the council, including the manager and treasurer, to recognise the authority of the vice chairman and accord him all the support to make him work effectively.