BY EBUN SESSOU

The Lagos State of Assembly has summoned the state Head of Service, Mrs. Folashade Jaji to appear before the House on Tuesday 28th, July over the elongation of the tenure of office of members of the state Judicial Service Commission.

This was in reaction to a letter sent to the House by members of the commission stating that they have been confirmed for another tenure of office by the Head of Service, who they said followed a due process on doing so.

The tenure of the office of members of the state judicial service Commission was supposed to be five years and by virtue of this, the tenure has expired in February this year but was automatically renewed without the knowledge of the lawmakers.

According to the House, the renewal of tenure of office by members of the commission was a flagrant disregard for the provisions of Section 199 of the 1999 Constitution, which states that tenure of office of public officers should end automatically as at when due.

Reacting to the letter, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa said that the Head of Service must be invited to educate the House on the due process that was followed in renewing the tenure of the members of the commission.

He said that the executive arm of government has not written the House to counter its position that the commission should be dissolved as its tenure has ended.

“The Head of Service should be invited tomorrow Tuesday, July 28 to appear before the House on the issue. It would also serve as a signal to other agencies and parastatals that once their tenure ends, they should leave office automatically,” he said.

Collaborating the point, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu from Eti-Osa Constituency2, emphasized the need for people to leave office after the expiration of the their terms, adding that the executive arm of government makes regulations without carry the legislative arm along.

He stated that regulations are laws and that it is wrong for the executive to make such without informing the assembly because, according to him, the people are being short-changed by this.