The Kwara State House of Assembly on Tuesday amended the Kwara State Local Government (Amendment) Law No. 3 of 2006, making it impossible for the state governor to dissolve elected local government councils at will.
Punch reports that the amended law, initiated by the member representing Oke-Ogun Constituency, Mr. Kamal Fagbemi, now makes it unconstitutional for the state Governor to unilaterally dissolve democratically elected local government councils in the state.
Fagbemi, while urging his colleagues to ensure the passage of the bill, said the amendment became imperative in view of the fact that the principal law was consistent with the provision of the 1999 Constitution. He decried the way and manner in which state governors sacked democratically elected council chairmen, stressing that the move was unconstitutional.
Speaking after the passage of the amendment bill into law, the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Mathew Okedare, who presided over the Tuesday’s sitting, directed the Clerk of the House, Hajia Halimat Jummai Kperogi, to prepare a clean copy for the governor’s assent, pointing out that the third tier of government was strategic to accelerated socio-economic transformation of the state.
