Lagos Assembly Summons Attorney General, Solicitor General over LG Administration Law
The Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), alongside the Solicitor General, Mr. Oyenuga Olanrewaju, to appear before a joint House Committee following a controversial letter regarding the commencement of the newly enacted Local Government Administration Law 2025.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, made the announcement during Tuesday’s plenary, citing the need for clarity over the executive’s position on a law that has already been passed and signed by the governor.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had on May 7, 2025, assented to the Local Government Administration Law 2025 — a legal framework that governs succession, disqualification, and tenure of council chairmen and their deputies across the state’s 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas.
One of the key provisions of the law states that a Vice Chairman who assumes office following the death, resignation, or political defection of the Chairman shall be deemed to have served a full term — regardless of how short the remaining tenure is.
However, a letter dated June 24, 2025, from the office of the Solicitor General caused a stir in the Assembly. The letter, titled “Lagos State Government: Commencement Order, Local Government Administration Law 2025,” claimed that the law, despite being signed by the Governor in May, would only take effect from August 4, 2025, based on a separate Commencement Order issued by the executive.
The letter reportedly referenced the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) Local Government Primary Elections in the state, insisting that the new law could not be applied retroactively until the August date.
This position met with strong resistance from lawmakers who argued that an Executive Commencement Order cannot override an already enacted law.
Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government Administration, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Hon. Sanni Babatunde, condemned the move, calling it “delicate and sensitive.” He insisted that the legislative process had been duly completed and the law became effective upon the Governor’s assent.
Similarly, Hon. Oladipo Ajomale, who chairs the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, expressed surprise at the executive’s stance. “The law was made public on the day it was signed. Why are we now being told it won’t take effect until August?” he queried.
Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh also weighed in, asserting, “No Executive Order can override a law that has been duly assented to by the Governor. That would be unconstitutional.”
Speaker Obasa described the situation as a necessary test of the law’s resilience. “This gives us an opportunity to assess how strong the law is. If a law is challenged, we revisit our process and determine whether due diligence was done,” he said.
In a related matter, the Assembly received a letter from Otto-Awori Local Council Development Area (LCDA) requesting the swearing-in of Abdulkareem Abioun as the substantive Executive Chairman following the death of the former Chairman, Prince Musibau Ashafa.
The letter highlighted the law’s provision that a Vice Chairman should assume office in the event of a Chairman’s demise or resignation. Despite this, local officials referred to Abioun only as “Acting Chairman,” raising concerns about adherence to the new legal framework.
Speaker Obasa directed the Assembly Clerk, Mr. Olalekan Onafeko, to notify the Governor of the situation. The House also summoned Mr. Abioun, the Council Manager, and legal officers to appear before the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to address the matter.
The Assembly has vowed to uphold the integrity of the legislative process and ensure that the rule of law is respected across all levels of governance in Lagos State.
