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Fashola: Yar’Adua Will Meet His Waterloo In Lagos – Bamidele Aturu

Jul 28th, 2009 | By admin | Category: Front Page Story

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos StatePRESIDENTIAL THREAT AND SUBVERSION OF PEACE AND FEDERALISM – Bamidele Aturu Esq

I have read the full text of a letter allegedly written by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’ Adua threatening to ‘direct necessary actions be taken by the relevant organs of State to defend the Constitution and preserve the authority of the Federal Government’ if the Governor Lagos State fails to dismantle the 37 Development Areas created in addition to the existing 20 Local Government Council Areas in Lagos State by Tuesday this week.

When Lagos State created additional Local Governments I was not convinced that the necessary referenda were conducted. Indeed I condemned at the time what I described as ‘arrangee’ referenda conducted in Local Government secretariats. On that score my position was that those proposed Local Government Councils were illegal.

But then the matter went up to the Supreme Court. The apex court found as a fact that the state complied with all the steps required for creating new Local Governments and that what was left was for the National Assembly to make the necessary consequential amendments to the Constitution as required by section 8(5) of the Constitution. The indisputable implication of the judgment of the Supreme Court is that the referenda were validly conducted and concluded and also that the Law passed by the State House of Assembly was validly done.

The apex court however held that the process of creating the Local Councils was inchoate. ‘Inchoate’ means incomplete. It does not mean illegal. The State government did what I consider to be sensible in the circumstances, namely, by reverting to the existing 20 Local Governments while the inchoate Local Councils were christened LCDAs.

This is why it is shocking that the President who claims to respect the rule of law could be issuing this threat at this time when everyone is hoping that the fragile peace in the Niger Delta would last. The threat of the President if carried out would amount to a blatant act of aggression and subversion of the rule of law and the principles of federalism. It would expose the President as a war monger who does not understand how aggrieved Nigerians are with his failure to deliver on any item of his advertised seven point agenda.

By the way which organs of state is Mr President referring to? Is he going to draft the army or the Police to seal up the Secretariats or level the Development Areas just as he did to Gbaramatu Kingdom? If that is his plan, I have little doubt that he would meet his waterloo in Lagos. The President seems to have run out of governance ideas and he is desperately seeking all means to heat up the polity in order to distract peoples’ attention from his embarrassing failings as a leader.

The President needs to substantiate the allegations that the LCDAs are being run on money allocated for the 20 Local Governments. It is not just enough to make the allegation. I am opposed to the course Mr President has chosen on the Lagos Development Areas. It is not acceptable and should be resisted frontally and legally.

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  1. Comrade Adebisi Nurain. July 28th, 2009 11:53 am :

    Let us understand that the RULE OF LAW of Yar’adua was an afterthought. ab initio, he had no any agenda at all when he was nose-dragged to the PDP primaries. I had never for once belief in any of his so called agenda. but let me join our own Aturu by telling Yar’adua that Obasanjo tried it, he failed and was disgraced, he should try it and see if he will not be disgraced and humiliated by the action. I hope segun Adeniyi will read this.

  2. Olufemi Longe July 28th, 2009 11:48 pm :

    It seems Yar’adua himself does not want peace. When it seems Niger-delta is getting peaceful he (Yar’adua) is engineering another round of battle which may not take the usual form of physical combat this time around but of intellectual combat. Let’s see how far he will be able to last, hope his sickness does not include amnesia, if yes then he should be able to recall how Obasanjo pursued the same course in vain.

  3. laolu July 29th, 2009 12:22 am :

    Haba goes slow umaru musa yar’adua,wallahi tallai u just get masters degree for nothing!when i thought niaja for the first time in history had graduates as our first two citizens!!!!!!!!
    Let mischief maker kasaa aondaka know that himself and the FG have sown discord and they’ll surely reap the whirlwind.
    Yar’dua’s failing health is a real minus for him.he’s been misled beyond reasonable measure.Lagosians are a sophisticated set of people.i implore peedeepee to check out history-lagos has always been a strong hold of opposition and so shall it remain.i mean purposeful&legal opposition.
    BRF REMAIN FOCUSSED joo joo joo.
    Eko oo ni baje…….o baje tii.

  4. Pastor. John Oluleye July 29th, 2009 4:41 pm :

    1 KINGS 12 ver.12

  5. Pastor. John Oluleye July 29th, 2009 4:42 pm :

    1 KINGS 12 ver.16

  6. Bunmi A July 30th, 2009 2:51 am :

    Its time for Lagos and Lagosians to show them what we made of. yardura needs to wake up his time, this is not arewa town where everything goes. This is Lagos. Eko ilu ogbon, which yardua lack. Eko akete. Eko ko ni baje o.

  7. Toyin Adekunle July 30th, 2009 6:07 pm :

    Yar’Adua’s letter and action on the matter shows an indolent and retrogressive President that has his hand full of nagging problems requiring urgent solutions but chooses to dissipate his energy on matter that is less important. Yar’Adua needs to go to the classroom to have extensive lessons on Federalism to clear away his ignorance.

    It is high time the issue of TRUE fiscal Federalism is solved once and for all. It is this lack of practise of true Federalism that is causing problem in the Niger Delta. If true federalism is practised, it is the federating units (which are the States in the federation) that make contributions to the center (federal govt). States are independent of federal govt in terms of administrative styles that they have chosen which is convenient for them and the fedearal govt lacks the power to give order to a state on what to do or how they’ve chosen to administer their state. That is the main reason why Obasanjo could do nothing when the Northern states introduced Sharia as part of their administartive style because we are in a federation and not unitary govt.

    Yar’Adua should be told the truth that he committed great error in ordering Lagos state by giving them altimatum as if we are in a military govt. The matter seems to be like sn Esaus’s hand but Jacob’s voice. Yar’Adua is trying to get cheap advantage for his party, PDP. We need to remember that PDP has deviced another method of rigging by poaching Governors and lawmakers in opposition parties to their party (PDP) by pressurising them to decamp to PDP. Those unprincipled, butter & bread, prostitute Governors and lawmakers abandoned the platform on which they won elections and decamped to PDP.

    If Yar’Adua is really interested in following the constitution, he should tell those Governors & Lawmakers that decamped to PDP to first of all surrender their mandates to the parties on which platforms they won elections. But he chose to promote political illegality and immorality. Yar’Adua is a 2-faced man. He sent a bill to the national assembly to prohibit cross-carpetting but turns round to encourage cross-carpeting by working on opposition parties elected officers to decamp to PDP. He is a very insincere man.

  8. jimmyblack August 30th, 2009 12:12 pm :

    Fallow Nigerian.[umaru yar a dua]figure head president.PDP has nothing to offer Nigerian.how many PDP ruling state,is doing better than [LAGOS STATE LAND OF BLESSING AND OPPOTUNITIES].It’s high time we the people of Nigeria,not to sell our votes.Seen is believing Lagos state is working.Tell them to decamp to AD,the party that got all the package to rule Nigeria.Look at the power sector for example.Things are getting worst day by day.Why the PDP’s pumping our money into so called god’s father pocket.It’s simple logic that when this sector is privatise,is going to work properly.Take a look at the communication sector all is working fine now.Let them tell us why the power sector can not be privatise.Let me tell you a secret [SOME ONE IS AMBESOLUING NATION FOUNDS]

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