By Nefishetu Yakubu
The Centre for Women’s Rights and Development Initiative has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene in the alleged plot to suspend Mrs Alice Tangi, the chairperson of Sagbama local government area in Bayelsa.
The group’s Executive Director, Dr Marilyn Okoro, made the call in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.
She alleged that the Bayelsa Government, through the State House of Assembly and Sagbama Local Government legislative council, planned to suspend and remove Tangi from office.
Okoro described the alleged move as unconstitutional, anti-democratic and a direct assault on local government autonomy, women’s political participation and the rule of law.
She said Tangi remained the only woman elected as a local government chairperson in Bayelsa under the current democratic dispensation and the second in history.
According to her, the alleged plot to suspend and remove Tangi constitutes a direct affront to women and a betrayal of democratic principles.
She said every Nigerian, including elected local government chairpersons, enjoyed the constitutional right to freedom of association without intimidation, coercion or threats of political removal.
“No citizen is under legal or moral obligation to join any political party. Political affiliation must remain a matter of personal conviction and free will, not compulsion, coercion or the threat of removal from office.
“It cannot be a ground for the impeachment of an elected official with a legal tenure,” Okoro said.
Okoro said neither the governor nor the State House of Assembly possessed constitutional powers to remove an elected local government chairperson before the expiration of his/her tenure.
She recalled that the Supreme Court, in its July 11, 2024 judgment, granted full financial and administrative autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local government councils.
She said the apex court directed that federal allocations be paid directly to local governments and prohibited governors from dissolving elected councils across Nigeria.
“As such, the governor has no power to remove or suspend her from office. Why would they want to remove a woman whose tenure ends in seven months’ time?
“Her choice to remain on the platform that gave her the mandate should be respected,” she added.
Okoro urged the Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene immediately and halt any planned unconstitutional suspension or removal of the council chairperson.
She said any attempt to remove Tangi would undermine local government autonomy, a constitutional principle consistently promoted by President Tinubu.
She also urged the Attorney-General to safeguard Tangi’s tenure and direct security agencies to guarantee her safety throughout her remaining period in office.
Okoro further called for continued payment of statutory allocations directly to the Sagbama Local Government Council in line with the Supreme Court judgment.
She appealed to Bayelsa women and other Nigerians to defend Tangi against what she described as politically motivated intimidation targeting female political office holders.
“The patriarchal structures that have long sought to keep women in subordinate positions must not be allowed to succeed once again.”
“History has shown that whenever a woman occupies space in a male-dominated political terrain and refuses to be controlled, powerful forces rise against her.
“This pattern must be broken. They are doing this because she is a woman,” she stated.
She called on President Tinubu, the Attorney-General and the Accountant-General of the Federation to protect Tangi from any unlawful suspension or removal.
Okoro reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to defending Tangi and every woman resisting political intimidation and violations of constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
NY/FEO
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Edited by Francis Onyeukwu