- Urges IGP to probe invasion of its secretariat
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), on Tuesday evening, said there was no change in its leadership, insisting that the tenure of its current National Executive Council, under the leadership of Honourable Kolade D. Alabi, is still subsisting.
Recall that the General Assembly of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) earlier on Tuesday inaugurated a seven-member Interim Management Committee (IMC), headed by Honourable Abdullahi Maje to pilot the affairs of the association for the next six months.
But in a statement signed by its secretary-general, Mrs. Binta Adamu, ALGON advised members of the public to disregard the false information being peddled by Hon Abdullahi S. Maje and his cohorts.
Meanwhile, ALGON has requested the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to launch a thorough investigation into the invasion of its national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday by a horde of men led by Honourable Abdullahi Maje and Honourable Ige Roppo Emmanuel who paraded themselves as interim national president and deputy national president respectively and prevent imminent breakdown of law and order and chaos should they return to the secretariat today (Wednesday) as they threatened.
The association also appealed for a number of DSS personnel to be stationed at its national secretariat to prevent breakdown of law and order.
In a complaint letter to the IGP, signed by its secretary-general, Mrs. Binta Adamu, ALGON narrated how Hon Abdullahi Maje, led a horde of men to besiege its national secretariat in Abuja, on Tuesday, for four hours with intent to forcefully take over the association’s leadership and secretariat.
ALGON said although Maje and his group were accompanied by policemen, they did not produce any court order or reveal any warrant of possession or indeed show any reasonable cause for their action.
“They prevented ALGON staff from leaving the secretariat and moved forcefully within the building loudly banging doors and demanding keys to any door they found locked. They compelled the staff to identify the office suite of the ALGON’s National President which happened to be locked. They then ignored all pleas from the staff and violently broke open the door and forced their way into the ALGON President’s office.
“The ALGON staff were in genuine fear of physical harm, given the sheer number of people that besieged the office uninvited, and demeanour as they paraded the corridors of the secretariat.
“The huge crowd was led by one Honourable Abdullahi S. Maje, who claimed to be the chairman of Suleja Local Government in Niger State. It was this individual who specifically passed himself off to the staff as the Interim National President of ALGON. Another individual, by name, Honourable Ige Roppo Emmanuel, also passed himself off as the Interim Deputy National President of ALGON.
“We wish to place on record that the tenure of ALGON’s current National Executive Council has not lapsed and ALGON’s Constitution specifies conditions and procedures for elections and change of leadership,” the letter read in part.