The national leadership of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) was yesterday chased out of the office in Abuja in compliance with a judgment of a Federal High Court which resolved the crisis rocking the association in favour of the Board of Trustees (BoT).

The national secretariat of the association located on the sixth floor of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) building in Maitama, Abuja, was also forcefully taken over by the ALGON BoT with the support of police mandated to enforce the court order.

Chairman of ALGON BoT, Mr. Umar Kassim Ibrahim, who led the police to recover the office complex, told journalists that the action was to put an end to the era of impunity, arrogance, and lawlessness in the body by the former leaders of the association.

He said the tenure of the former President of ALGON, Chief Nwabueze Okafor, had expired since January but he refused to vacate office despite no longer being a local government boss.

Ibrahim stated that in spite of several court judgments and orders against his continued stay in office, Okafor allegedly disregarded and disobeyed the orders.

He said explained that police had to be brought in so as to force the former leaders out of office.

Ibrahim’s words: “By our constitution only serving chairmen of the 774 local government areas in the country are eligible to be ALGON members and to hold offices as officers.

“The moment your tenure expires as a local government chairman, you have to automatically vacate office for the new officers but in the case of Nwabueze Okafor, his tenure as Chairman of Enugu South Local Government expired since January. He had handed over to his successor, Mr. Victor Oguejiofo Agbo.

“But unfortunately, the same Nwabueze refused bluntly to vacate office as ALGON President even when his is no longer a council chairman, so we have to invite the law enforcement agents to do their lawful duty.”

Ibrahim said a six-man interim committee had been set up to hit the ground running and conduct election for new ALGON officers within 30 days.

The interim committee is headed by Dr. Emmanuel Loman with Mr. Amodu Okandeji, Kwara ALGON Chairman, as legal adviser.

Others are Prince Cornelius Nnaji from Enugu, Khalid Ibrahim from Jigawa, Mrs. Comfort Olarewaju from Delta, Maina Gana from Yobe and Olanrewaju Ibrahim, who will act as deputy chairman, treasurer, financial secretary respectively.

•Photo shows ALGON’s ex- President, Nwabueze Okafor.

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