20th 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 three-year tenure of the present local government administration in Lagos State expires on 29 October, 2014 and the state Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has declared that there would be no local government election in the state in 2014 due to the coming general elections.
This declaration by LASIEC has paved the way for the formation of a caretaker administration at the local government and local council development areas as the elected chairmen cannot stay in office beyond 29 October, 2014, which marks exactly three years they were sworn into office in 2011.
The constitution of the caretaker government will be subject 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 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 our correspondent.
The party has also decided that council chairmen who have not performed well or have cases with leaders of the party may not be considered.
The development has engendered serious lobbying by the outgoing council bosses aided by their godfathers to get selected for the position.