Posted by By Bashir Umar, Abuja on
For President Obasanjo's obstinate refusal to obey the Supreme Court order to release their statutory allocations from the Federation Account, the entire Lagos State Local Council chairmen have dragged him to the Senate for a rescue action.
For President Obasanjo's obstinate refusal to obey the Supreme Court order to release their statutory allocations from the Federation Account, the entire Lagos State Local Council chairmen have dragged him to the Senate for a rescue action.
Addressing the Chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Chairman of Committee of Council Chairmen in Lagos, Alhaji Muniru Muse said they had resolved to request the Senate "to intercede and ensure that the president complies with the December 10, 2004 Supreme Court order to release the allocations from the Federation Account" which are due to the Lagos Local Councils.
Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, Muse who is Apapa Council Chairman, said "we have sought relief from the highest court of the land and our prayers that the seized funds be released unconditionally, were granted by the Supreme Court."
He expressed dismay, however, that the president has bluntly refused to comply with the December 10, 2004 order but rather he has attached his own conditions.
"A great danger exists for our judicial system if the President is not called to order on this contempt, the chairmen warned.
"If we have gone to the highest court in the land and obtained relief and the President refuses to obey the ruling, the National Assembly is the next legal and legitimate place we consider appropriate to report the matter to.
"Our people are restive and the potential for chaos is real. We can avert this if the National Assembly intervenes and somehow gets the President to obey the Supreme Court ruling first and then want to see if Lagos State does anything illegal or unconstitutional with the money."
They reasoned that "there is possibility of chaos and they know it, they have a responsibility to bring it to the attention of the National Assembly, pointing out that we are being compelled to shirk our constitutional responsibilities in the areas of environmental sanitation (the rains are here); primary school educational development, infrastructure maintenance, primary health care (no drugs at all), local government staff salaries, primary school teachers salaries and poverty alleviation."
In reporting this matter formally to the Judicial Committee of the Senate, the chairmen said 'we are mindful of the grave implications which the President's action has for the rule of law in our country. We are also mindful of the oversight responsibility of the National Assembly."