Two National Executive Council (NEC) members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) have dismissed the purported “removal” of Mr Kolade Alabi as National President of the body.
The Chairman of Delta ALGON, Mr Itiako Ikpokpo, and his Plateau counterpart, Mr Ezekiel Pabuet, refuted the reported sack on Sunday evening.
In separate statements made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York, Ikpokpo and Pabuet dismissed the announcement of Alabi’s removal as the work of impostors.
NAN reports that one Mr Andrew Alu, who claims to be the National Publicity Secretary of ALGON, announced the sack in a statement earlier on Sunday.
Alu had cited an alleged breach of the 1999 Constitution as the basis for the removal of the national president.
Alabi, who is also the Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, represents the state in the ALGON NEC.
But Alu said Alabi was not qualified to be ALGON president since Bariga LCDA was not among the constitutionally recognised 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
However, Alabi denied the allegation, saying the process of his election as the association’s national president was constitutional.
In his reaction, Ikpokpo said whoever issued the sack notice was an imposter not known to him and other members of the NEC.
“These are the same people who almost destroyed the foundation of ALGON which Hon. Alabi was elected to rebuild, and he is doing a great job.
“Hon. Alabi went through an election in Lagos, won and was so declared by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LSIEC).
“Delta ALGON is proud of his work and the stables he is cleaning up to properly put the association where it belongs,” he said.
Similarly, Pabuet said there was no division in ALGON, adding that Alabi was “overwhelmingly elected by the NEC of which I am a member”.
He said: “Gone are the days where imposters were used to tarnish and undermine the image of a very serious body like ALGON.
“The association was once a formidable voice in this country, and that is what the present leadership is trying to bring back.
“We cannot sit and watch people of questionable and unstable character that are not even part of ALGON, to make such flagrant and unfortunate statement.”
The Plateau ALGON boss said those behind Alabi’s purported removal should be handed over to security agencies for investigation and possible prosecution to serve as deterrent. (NAN)
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