Rivers, Abia, Kaduna 10 other states to hold LGA elections after Supreme Court Ruling
13 States Prepare for Council Elections Following Supreme Court Ruling on Local Government Autonomy.
Barely a week after the landmark Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government authorities in Nigeria, at least 13 states have begun preparations to hold council elections.
The states gearing up for these elections include Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi, Katsina, Osun, Enugu, Benue, Rivers, Jigawa, Imo, Kebbi, Abia, and Anambra.
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The Supreme Court had recently declared it unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds allocated to local government councils. In the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the seven-man panel ruled that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds independently.
The court further declared that state governments do not have the authority to appoint caretaker committees, affirming that local government councils are only valid with democratically elected officials. The ruling barred state governors from receiving, retaining, or spending local government allocations.
On Tuesday, July 16, the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) announced that the council polls are scheduled for October 19, 2024. Hajara Mohammed, chairperson of SIECOM, explained that the current council officials were sworn into office on November 1, 2021, and their three-year tenure would end on October 31, 2024.
“The current council members were sworn into office on 1 November 2021 and will end their three-year tenure on 31 October 2024. KAD-SIECOM is responsible for organizing the elections of chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and councillors in the state,” Mohammed stated.
“In accordance with the provision of section 25(1) of the KAD-SIECOM Law 2024, the general public is hereby informed that the LGA council election will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, 19th October 2024, between 8 am and 4 pm. The commission issues the election timetable today, Tuesday 16th July 2024. The 2024 election guidelines have been released with the election timetable. KAD-SIECOM is ready to conduct the election on the set date.”
Similarly, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission also announced October 19 for the local government election across the state. During a stakeholders’ meeting in Lokoja on Tuesday, the commission’s chairman, Mamman Eri, said the decision aligns with the constitutional provisions and powers vested in the state Independent Electoral Commission.
Eri explained that a comprehensive timetable and schedule of activities had been prepared to ensure a transparent, fair, and credible electoral process.
In Bauchi, the State Independent Electoral Commission has set August 19 for the local government elections. The commission’s chairman, Alhaji Ahmad Makama, disclosed this at a news conference on Tuesday in Bauchi, stating that all necessary arrangements had been made to ensure free and fair elections.
Makama reiterated the commission’s commitment to conducting a credible and transparent election, urging citizens to come out and vote for their preferred candidates across all parties on election day.
