IKOSI-ISHERI LEGAL ADVISER DEBUNKS THIRD-TERM ALLEGATION AGAINST MAYORESS SAMIAT BADA, CALLS CLAIMS MISLEADING AND UNFOUNDED

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The Special Assistant on Legal Matters to the Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Abdulmajeed Oloyede, has debunked media reports and circulating claims suggesting that the APC flagbearer and incumbent chairperson, Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada, is pursuing an unconstitutional third term.

Speaking during a press briefing in Lagos, Oloyede, a legal practitioner, condemned what he described as a “deliberate attempt to mislead the public” by certain aggrieved ex-aspirants following Bada’s victory in the recently concluded APC local government primaries.

He referenced a trending video and petitions citing the 1999 Constitution (Fourth Alteration, No. 16), which the ex-aspirants claim invalidates Bada’s qualification to contest. Oloyede, however, dismissed these claims as a gross misinterpretation of the law.

“Section 137 and Section 182 of the Fourth Alteration talk about the President and the Governor respectively,” he explained. “There is no mention of local government administration in those provisions. Anyone importing local government matters into that amendment is deliberately spreading falsehood or is ignorant of the law.”

He emphasized that Princess Bada had only contested and won one election her current tenure contrary to allegations that she is seeking a third term after previously completing the tenure of her late predecessor.

“I challenge anyone to present two electoral results showing she contested twice. It doesn’t exist,” he said.

Oloyede also addressed comparisons to the Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA case cited by the petitioners, describing it as misleading. He clarified that the incumbent in that case was screened, contested, and lost just as Bada was screened and emerged victorious.

He stressed that the constitution and Lagos State’s electoral law clearly define the qualifications to run for local government chairmanship, which Bada meets, including age and party affiliation.

Taking a swipe at the aggrieved aspirants, he said, “Once you lose at the primaries, the party provides an appeal process. If you’re truly aggrieved, go to the appeal committee. It’s past 12 — the time for that has expired.”

He urged members of the press and the public to rely on verified legal interpretations and not be swayed by what he called “manipulated narratives meant to discredit the democratic process.”

“The 1999 Constitution is supreme. Let us protect its integrity by not misrepresenting it for political convenience,” he added.

Oloyede concluded by challenging critics to provide any legal reference that specifically disqualifies local government officials in similar scenarios, asserting that no such provision exists.

“This is a constitutional democracy, and we must not allow legal ignorance or manipulation to erode its foundation,” he said.