Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Shahadat Hossain has responded to Jamaat‑e‑Islami chief and opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman’s remark calling him an “expired mayor.”
Shahadat said his tenure remains valid until 2029 under a court ruling. He added that he is ready to step down once the Local Government Division announces the date of the next CCC election.
He made the comments in a video message posted on his verified Facebook account shortly after midnight on Saturday.
In the video, Shahadat said, “Jamaat’s respected Amir Shafiqur Rahman called me an expired mayor at Laldighi. I want to say that my mandate was forcibly taken away during the fascist rule of the Hasina government, which lasted 16 years.”
He explained that he had challenged the 2021 CCC election results in the election tribunal. Based on the tribunal’s ruling, he was declared the mayor of the city corporation. Following the ruling, a gazette notification was issued and he was sworn in.
“The ruling came after 5 August, during the interim Yunus government. So the verdict I received, the people’s expected verdict, challenged fascist rule,” Shahadat said.
He claimed that the tenure of former CCC mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, who served under the Awami League government, was also declared invalid by the court.
On his own tenure, Shahadat said, “I took oath on 3 November 2024. From then, my tenure naturally runs until 2029.”
He reiterated that if elections are held earlier, he will vacate the post. “For the greater interest of the people and to institutionalise democracy, I have repeatedly said I am ready whenever the Local Government Ministry holds elections in Chattogram or anywhere in Bangladesh,” he said.
He added, “The day the Local Government Division announces the CCC election date, I will step down and welcome a democratic election.”
Expressing surprise at the Jamaat chief’s remarks, Shahadat said, “By making such a statement, he has effectively endorsed Rezaul Karim, who was elected during the Awami League’s fascist period, as a legitimate mayor.”
He also said that he has democratic politics since his student life and struggled for 17 years to institutionalise democracy. He pledged to welcome any future democratic and participatory election.
What Jamaat chief said at Laldighi rally
Earlier Saturday night, at the concluding rally of the 11‑party alliance’s long march at Laldighi ground in Chattogram, Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman questioned the CCC mayor’s tenure.
“There is a mayor here. Does his tenure still exist? Should we not call him expired? Now we hear he will stay as long as he wishes. Is this good governance, or is this fascism?” he said.
He added, “You should come again, be elected again. Lead with dignity through people’s votes — we have no objection. But if the people elect someone else, you must accept that.”
The opposition leader questioned the appointment of administrators in various places, asking whether they were elected representatives or not, after pledges to govern through elected officials.
