A human rights advocacy group has called on the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, to immediately suspend the planned local government elections scheduled for November 25, warning that proceeding with the polls could lead to the premature termination of the tenure of elected council officials.
The call was made by the Chairman of the Human Rights and Judgment Enforcement Advocates, Barrister Mohammed Alfa, during a press briefing held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Alfa cautioned the governor against any move to dissolve or truncate the constitutionally guaranteed four-year tenure of the current local government executives, as stipulated under the Electoral Act 2022.
He also urged state governors across the country to ensure that funds allocated to Local Government Councils from the Federation Account are released without interference, in line with constitutional provisions.
“The state governors must allow the free flow of funds to local governments without interference, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution,” Alfa stated.
He further disclosed that his group has launched a nationwide campaign demanding full enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on July 11, 2024, which reaffirmed the autonomy of local government councils in Nigeria.
Citing Sections 163(3) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Alfa emphasized that all funds due to local government councils must be paid directly from the Federation Account without being routed through the state governments.
“By virtue of Sections 163(3) and (5) of the Constitution, the amount standing to the credit of Local Government Councils in the Federation Account should henceforth be distributed and paid directly to them,” he said.
Expressing concern over the lack of compliance, Alfa lamented that nearly a year after the landmark Supreme Court ruling, only a few states have implemented the directive.
On the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils, Alfa pointed to Section 108(1) of the relevant Act, which states: “An Area Council shall stand dissolved at the expiration of four years from the date when the Chairman took the oath of office or when the legislative arm of the Council was inaugurated.”
He also issued a challenge to the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, urging him to demonstrate the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors’ support for President Bola Tinubu’s poverty eradication agenda by ensuring total autonomy for local councils before the next federal allocation is released.
Alfa warned that if no meaningful action is taken by August 25, the group will mobilize for a grassroots protest in solidarity with citizens at the local level.
“We plan to lead a grassroots protest in solidarity with the masses if the situation does not change before August 25,” he said.
