In the wake of last Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment prohibiting federal allocations to local councils managed by caretaker committees, at least 13 states have set dates for local government elections.
These states include Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi, Katsina, Osun, Enugu, Benue, Rivers, Jigawa, Imo, Kebbi, Abia, and Anambra.
The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission announced that its local government elections will be held on October 19, 2024.
The Supreme Court’s decision declared it unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds allocated to local government councils.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, delivering the judgment on behalf of a seven-member panel, emphasised that the 774 local government councils in Nigeria should manage their funds independently.
This ruling came in the case SC/CV/343/2024, filed by the attorney-general of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), against the 36 state governors.
The court affirmed that the government operates in three tiers: federal, state, and local. It further ruled that state governments lack the authority to appoint caretaker committees to manage local councils, insisting that local governments must be democratically elected.
The Supreme Court highlighted that using caretaker committees violates the 1999 Constitution and ruled that state governors have no power to dissolve democratically elected local councils and replace them with caretaker committees.
The court barred state governors from receiving, retaining, or spending local government allocations, describing the practice as a violation of section 162 of the 1999 Constitution.
It mandated that local government funds be managed directly by local administrations. Justice
Following the widely applauded verdict, Wale Edun, the finance minister and coordinating minister for the economy, and the attorney-general of the federation scheduled a meeting with Federal Accounts and Allocation Committee officials to discuss the implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
States set dates for LG elections.
At a meeting with political parties and stakeholders on Tuesday, the chairperson of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM), Hajara Mohammed, announced that local government elections will be held on October 19, 2024.
She explained that the current council members, who were sworn in on November 1, 2021, will complete their three-year tenure on October 31, 2024.
Similarly, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission has scheduled local government elections for October 19.
Addressing a stakeholders’ meeting in Lokoja on Tuesday, the chairman of the electoral commission, Mamman Eri, stated that the decision aligns with constitutional provisions and the powers vested in the state Independent Electoral Commission.
“We assure you that these activities have been designed with utmost consideration for inclusivity, transparency and adherence to electoral laws,’’ he said.
According to the election timetable, a councillorship candidate will pay a N100,000 deposit, while a chairmanship candidate will pay N250,000. The guidelines prohibit candidates dismissed from public service or private employment, as well as those found guilty of narcotics-related offences, from contesting.
In Bauchi State, the local government elections are set for August 19. The chairman of the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission, Ahmad Makama, announced at a news conference on Tuesday that all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair elections.
Makama reiterated the commission’s commitment to conducting credible elections and urged citizens to vote for their preferred candidates.
He denied allegations of rigging and noted that previous elections were conducted fairly. The commission has organised meetings with political parties, security chiefs, and relevant stakeholders as part of the election preparations.
Other states, including Katsina, Kebbi, and Benue, have also initiated preparations for local council polls. Enugu will hold its election on October 5, Benue on November 16, Kebbi on August 31, Rivers on October 5, and Kwara and Imo on September 21. Katsina has announced February as the election month, while Osun will conduct the poll on February 22, 2025.
In contrast, the preparation for the council election in Ondo State has been put on hold. The chairman of the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission, Joseph Aremo, announced on Monday that no political party complied with the election guidelines.
This marks the second postponement of the election, initially scheduled for February and later shifted to July 2024.
Following the expiration of the last local government executive’s tenure in August 2023, heads of local government administration have been managing the state’s 18 local government areas.
Addressing stakeholders in Akure, Aremo stated, “Ours is to conduct an election that will usher in a democratic government at the local level. Unfortunately, no single party complied with the guidelines for the election.
“We have yet to receive the nomination of candidates, yet to verify and release it to the public for scrutiny.”
Aremo indicated that the commission would revisit the drawing board and announce its position later. The Ondo State Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council, Adesanya Olaoluwa, acknowledged that political parties agreed to the terms and emphasized the importance of meeting with the governor to ensure trust in the process.
However, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) accused the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) of postponing the elections due to the declining popularity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
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