Recission motion lost in Liverpool CEO John Ajaka’s termination

A final effort to reverse the termination of a southwest Sydney council chief executive’s role has failed after a rescission motion was lost during a confidential meeting.

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun. Picture: Monique Harmer

A final effort to reverse the termination of Liverpool chief executive John Ajaka’s role at the council has failed after a rescission motion was lost during a 30-minute confidential meeting.

A rescission motion lodged during last month’s council meeting where councillors resolved for Jason Breton to continue in his role as acting chief executive was defeated following a closed session at Wednesday’s council meeting.

Labor councillors Betty Green, Charishma Kaliyanda and independent councillors Peter Harle and Karress Rhodes tabled the motion in an attempt to stop Mr Ajaka’s sacking until the Office of Local government’s report into the “fractured relationship” between councillors and staff was presented to the council.

An urgent motion by Cr Rhodes to defer the consideration of the rescission motion to seek further advice was also lost.

Former Liverpool chief executive John Ajaka. Picture: Troy Snook

Mayor Ned Mannoun said he “can’t accept this as an urgent motion” and recommended Cr Rhodes to “move this as an alternate motion”.

“We can’t defer the rescission motion, we legally can’t dismiss it,” he said.

Cr Rhodes argued the council was “heading into dangerous territory” and councillors needed to be “educated before we can deal with the urgency motion”.

“We need to make sure we have acted in a way that is consistent with the rules, regulations and procedures of local government,” she said.

Cr Kaliyanda further called for Cr Mannoun to leave the chambers during the debate of the

the rescission motion.

“Before we move into closed (session), there’s a conflict of interest with you (Ned Mannoun) being named in the context of what we’re discussing. I move that the mayor vacate the chair,” she said.

Liverpool MP and councillor Charishma Kaliyanda voted for the recission motion.

Cr Mannoun responded: “I don’t agree with that and it’s up to each councillor how they deal with conflicts of interest.’’

The vote for the rescission motion was five to five, with Cr Mannoun casting the deciding sixth vote.

Councillors Green, Kaliyanda, Rhodes, Peter Harle and Ali Karnib voted in favour of the recission motion.

This comes after Mr Ajaka was previously stood down with pay during a two-hour confidential council meeting in April when the council’s director of operations Jason Breton was appointed as the acting chief executive in the interim.

Mr Ajaka is alleged to have told the mayor to “shut the f--k up” during a private budget meeting on Tuesday April 16 with Deputy Mayor Fiona Macnaught and director of corporate support Farooq Portelli.

When approached for comment from Mr Ajaka, a Liverpool Council spokesman said: “Council does not comment on the contents of private meetings.’’

Cr Green previously told this publication she had “no confidence in the process that arrived at the decision” to terminate Mr Ajaka’s role.

“I don’t believe it was the right decision because there is an investigation on foot and the procedural fairness and natural justice needed to be done,” she said.

This comes after the recruitment process and alleged mismanagement of a $600m development project by the council will be scrutinised in a NSW government investigation following concerns of a “fractured relationship” between councillors and staff.