The Lagos State House of Assembly has indefinitely suspended the chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Jelili Sulaimon, effective immediately.
During a plenary session, lawmakers unanimously voted to remove Sulaimon from office, citing allegations of non-compliance, defiance, and misconduct.
In the wake of this decision, the Assembly directed the council’s vice chairman, Mr. Akinpelu Johnson, to assume control of the council’s operations.
Additionally, the management of the council, including its manager and treasurer, were instructed to fully support Johnson in his new role.
The motion for Sulaimon’s suspension was moved by Hon. Sanni Okanlawon, Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Okanlawon recalled that in April 2024, chaos erupted in the Iyana-Ipaja area of Alimosho, resulting in the death of a man named Michael Ajayi. An investigation led by Okanlawon’s committee revealed that Sulaimon was allegedly behind the unrest.
Further compounding the issue, Sulaimon reportedly refused to cooperate with the Assembly’s investigation, ignored directives, and was accused of mismanaging public funds. Citing these violations, Okanlawon called for Sulaimon’s suspension in accordance with relevant sections of the amended 1999 Constitution.
“He should be suspended immediately while the vice chairman, Akin Johnson, takes over with immediate effect,” he prayed.
Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, while supporting the call for the suspension, added that the action would make other local government chairmen sit well.
“The Alimosho council chairman does not follow procurement processes or the budget. There has been a lot of misconducts from him and I support that the chairman be suspended indefinitely,” he said.
In his contribution Hon. Nureni Akinsanya, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts for Local Government, referred to the report submitted by the Auditor-General concerning the activities of Sulaimon. The report underscored the council chairman’s consistent non-compliance with financial regulations, with significant irregularities in his records.
Akinsanya, emphasising these discrepancies, suported Okanlawon’s call for the suspension.
Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the sitting, directed the Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, to communicate the Assembly’s resolution to all relevant authorities