There is a growing disagreement between some members of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, over his choice of commissioner nominees sent to the lawmakers for confirmation and screening. The lawmakers, in a plenary session on Thursday, expressed their displeasure with the governor for failing to include the nominees’
There is a growing disagreement between some members of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, over his choice of commissioner nominees sent to the lawmakers for confirmation and screening.
The lawmakers, in a plenary session on Thursday, expressed their displeasure with the governor for failing to include the nominees’ from local governments and excluding party loyalists from some local governments and constituencies in the state from his list.
Reacting to the list of nominees read by the clerk of the house, Olalekan Onafeko, lawmakers maintained that loyalists of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, should have been considered alongside the selected technocrats, adding that many members sacrificed their ambitions during the electioneering period for the party to emerge as the winner of the gubernatorial election.
In his argument, Honourable Femi Saheed, the lawmaker representing Kosofe constituency 2, stated that as a state secretary of the APC for seven years, he could boast that the party has some loyalists who are also technocrats to occupy the positions of commissioners and special advisers in the executive cabinet. “The House must thoroughly look at the nominees to make sure they are worthy of the nomination,” he said.
Also in his submission, the lawmaker representing Badagry constituency 2 and the deputy chief whip of the house, Honourable David Setonji condemned the governor for sidelining members of the party, adding that the governor has not yet learned his lessons.
He went on to say that the party had a tough race during the elections before winning the state, alluding to members putting their necks on the line for the governor’s reelection.
He lamented that despite all the hurdles crossed on behalf of the party, the governor has decided to ignore them.“it seems like we have not learnt our lesson. In one of the wards in my constituency, it was hard but in the end, we proved ourselves and here is the list and not a single name from my LGA.”
However, in his response to the lawmakers, Speaker of the House Mudashiru Obasa appealed to the state legislators to understand the governor’s reasons for selecting the individuals on the list, noting that the governor has the legal prerogative to appoint any individuals in his cabinet, regardless of party affiliation or not. The Speaker also urged the House to prioritise state development over politics, stating that while some members of the public have signed petitions,
“The law gives room for the Governor to decide who he wants to choose; the House also has the power to deliberate on his decisions.”Don’t let us ask for a new list. If they choose two commissioners from each constituency, how many are we going to have then?
“Many people have written petitions on this, but we have to be patient, it is all about developing the state.
Agreeing with his colleagues on the governor’s failure to attach the nominees’ local governments to the lists, the speaker urged the clerk to write back to the executive for correction, adding that their local governments bear their identities.
It will be recalled that last week, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu submitted 39 names of nominees for commissioner to the Lagos State House of Assembly for ratification in accordance with the 1999 constitution as amended, which requires the president and governors to submit names of people nominated as ministers and commissioners within 60 days of taking the oath of office for ratification by states or federal lawmakers.
