19th October, 2014
Jamiu Yisa
As their three year tenure officially expires at the end of October, 2014, most council chairmen in Lagos Sate have been running from pillar to post to be picked as heads of their respective councils’ caretaker committees expected to be put in place after the expiration of their tenure.
The tenure of the present administration at grassroots level in Lagos State expires on 29th October 2014 and the state Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has declared that there are no local government elections in the state in 2014 due to the general elections in 2015.
What this declaration by LASIEC portends is that a caretaker administration will be put in place at the local governments and local council development areas as the elected chairmen cannot spend beyond 29th October, 2014.
The constitution of the caretaker government will however be subjected to the approval of the state House of Assembly.
P.M. NEWS reliably gathered that the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party in the state, has concluded plans to ensure that a five-man caretaker administration be put in place at the local level headed by an Executive Secretary pending the time LASIEC will be ready to organise the council election.
The plan was that the present council chairmen will head the caretaker committees but the party has also decided that not all of them will be selected for the position.
“There are some who are seeking elective option into higher offices hence won’t be selected for the ES,” sources within the party told this medium.
The party has also decided that council chairmen who have not performed in office or have cases with leaders of the party may not be considered.
The last scenario has engendered serious struggle among the council bosses to get selected for the position.
A National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in Abuja this week and his place of abode was besieged by Lagos council bosses and their godfathers seeking to get the support of the APC National Leader.