A Senior Suggest of Nigeria, Dr Kemi Pinheiro, has advised the Lagos Atmosphere Area of Meeting and Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to steer clear of interfering with the police investigation and ongoing courtroom case relating to land possession at Negative. 47, Used Ogba Street, alike M.Okay.O Abiola Marketplace, Agege, Lagos.
Pinheiro argued that the meeting’s movements may just violate the break-up of powers defined in Nigeria’s Charter.
In a letter dated November 6, 2024, made to be had to our correspondent on Thursday, Dr Pinheiro, who represents Mr and Mrs Olugbenga Edwards Ayo-Odugbesan, criticised the meeting’s invitation of November 5, 2024, for the couple to seem prior to the lawmakers.
He contended that via summoning them over allegations of fraud and competitive movements, the meeting was once overstepping its bounds.
Pinheiro instructed his shoppers to not attend the meeting assembly, noting that compliance may just top to contempt of courtroom, because the subject was once being heard via the courts.
Pinheiro instructed on November 6, 2024, in a letter to the behalf of the Ayo-Odugbesan couple, replying to the meeting’s invitation of November 2024.
Copies of the letter have been despatched to President Bola Tinubu, Lagos Atmosphere Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the shape’s Lawyer Common.
The Meeting’s invitation adopted an October 31, 2024, petition submitted via a gaggle, Involved Agege Citizens, which claimed the disputed land belongs to Agege Native Govt, led via Alhaji Kola Ganiu Egunjobi.
The crowd accused the Ayo-Odugbesan couple of fraudulently obtaining a governor’s consent for the feature and attractive in acts of aggression.
He mentioned: “Your a call for participation beneath reference purports to ask my shoppers in terms of two problems, which obviously denote allegations of crime, particularly: (i) Fraudulent acquisition of Governor’s consent and (ii.) Acts of aggression.
“As you would agree with me, by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution and the Police Act, the power to investigate crime has been ceded to the police and other law enforcement agencies.”
He argued that he may just no longer to find any constitutional provision donating powers to research crime or any allegation of crime to any Area of Meeting of a shape and even the federal legislature.
“I have looked at those powers that have been donated to the legislature, which you represent, and cannot find any that supports the investigation of allegations of crime and determination of ownership of land.”
Pinheiro additional puzzled why the Meeting selected to behave on a petition from nameless folks when Agege LGA, the alleged rightful proprietor, remained tranquil.
He mentioned, “It is perplexing that the Honourable Assembly would entertain a petition from unknown sources, purportedly defending the interests of a local government council that has made no complaint.”
Pinheiro puzzled why the lawmakers have been involved in summoning his shoppers when the Agege LGA and its chairman, whom the Involved Agege Citizens presupposed to be advocating for, and whom the Ayo-Odugbesan couple had accused of illegal shatter of the feature, had stored mute over the subject.
He mentioned: “It beats my creativeness that this Honourable Meeting and its Committee on Regulations and Trade would dignify a petition via faceless folks purporting to implement possession of a feature belonging to a neighborhood govt council when the native govt itself is sitting lazy and has no longer made any grievance in that regard.
“What is more, these matters, the subject of your invitation, are sub-judice and presently pending before a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Moreover, Pinheiro criticised the meeting’s fail to remember for his shopper’s earlier petition in regards to the identical feature, submitted on October 3, 2024.
He mentioned: “Moreover, what’s extra relating to for me, Mr Speaker, is {that a} petition written via my shopper on your esteemed place of job, dated October 3, 2024, has failed to peer the luminous of the occasion, neither has it gained the specified consideration however the grave problems raised therein, which hassle at the illegal shatter of the feature of a college which operates purely as an NGO to coach youngsters who’re much less privileged with out requiring the fee of humongous college charges and which has been in operation for roughly 30 years.
“An area govt chairman led to a understand to be pasted at the feature of the college purportedly confiscating the similar.
“I might have idea that right away upon receipt of the petition containing those grave allegations, with the similar haste during which you acted in casting off the now reinstated Alimosho Native Govt Chairman, you possibly can right away droop the Agege Native Govt chairman as being a humiliation no longer best to the All Determined Congress which I’ve had the chance to guard but in addition what Lagos Atmosphere because the Centre of Excellence has all the time been recognized for.
“We’re surprised and shocked that the sort of petition that are meant to have gained fast consideration to give protection to the ones past leaders and their households has no longer viewable the luminous of the nonetheless occasion.
“My client has informed me that the chairman of the Local Government has boasted to them that he has the support of your good self, the Rt. Honourable Speaker. In respect of this, I would advise that you exercise restraint,” Pinheiro mentioned.