A political storm is quietly gathering in Apapa Local Government of Lagos State as the council chairman, Senbanjo Idowu Adejumoke, has reportedl
A political storm is quietly gathering in Apapa Local Government of Lagos State as the council chairman, Senbanjo Idowu Adejumoke, has reportedly refused to swear in a list of supervisory councillors and the Secretary to the Local Government (SLG) forwarded to local government chairmen across Lagos State, creating tension between her administration, party stakeholders, and the state government.
A few days ago, the Lagos State Government, through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, sent a list of supervisors and key council officials to local government chairmen across the state. The directive was intended to help the councils constitute their executive teams and fully commence governance at the grassroots level. Across many councils in Lagos, chairmen have already complied with the directive by swearing in their supervisors and administrative officials.
But in Apapa, the situation has taken a very different turn. Senbanjo refused to swear in the Secretary to the Local Government (SLG) despite pressure from the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who is said to have urged her to proceed with the appointment. Instead, the chairman is said to be running the council with only two supervisors, the only officials she appears willing to work with for now.
Sources close to the political structure in Apapa say the list of supervisors and the SLG was put together by party leaders and influential stakeholders who played key roles in ensuring Senbanjo’s emergence during the political process that produced the current administration.
For many of those leaders, the expectation was that the chairman would implement the list once she assumed office. However, insiders say Senbanjo has firmly rejected the arrangement, insisting that she will not work with officials imposed on her through political arrangements. Her position, according to sources is that the process that produced the list is unconstitutional and undermines the authority of the local government chairman.
