In response to a recent Supreme Court decision prohibiting the administration of federal allocations to local councils by caretaker committees, 13 states have scheduled 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 has set the date for its council elections on October 19, 2024. This decision follows last Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, which declared it unconstitutional for state governors to manage funds allocated for local government councils. Justice Emmanuel Agim, leading a seven-member panel, stated that the 774 local government councils in Nigeria must independently manage their funds.
The judgment, delivered in the case SC/CV/343/2024, initiated by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), against the 36 state governors, affirmed the constitutional separation of government into federal, state, and local tiers. The court emphasized that only democratically elected local governments are legitimate, rendering caretaker committees illegal.
Justice Agim declared, “A democratically elected local government is sacrosanct and non-negotiable,” ending the practice of state governors appointing caretaker committees. The court further decreed that state governors could not dissolve elected local councils to replace them with appointed committees, deeming such acts “unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.”
In line with this ruling, states are moving swiftly to organize local government elections. Kaduna’s council members, who assumed office on November 1, 2021, will conclude their tenure on October 31, 2024. The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission Chairperson, Hajara Mohammed, announced the election date and released the election timetable and guidelines.
Similarly, Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission has scheduled its local government elections for October 19, 2024. Chairman Mamman Eri outlined a comprehensive timetable and schedule of activities to ensure a transparent and credible electoral process.
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Bauchi State has also set its local government elections for August 19, 2024. The Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission Chairman, Alhaji Ahmad Makama, assured the public of free and fair elections, urging citizens to participate actively.
Other states have announced their election dates: Enugu on October 5, Benue on November 16, Kebbi on August 31, Rivers on October 5, Kwara and Imo on September 21, Katsina in February 2025, and Osun on February 22, 2025.
However, in Ondo State, the local government election preparations have been postponed. Dr. Joseph Aremo, Chairman of the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission, cited non-compliance by political parties with election guidelines as the reason for the delay. This marks the second postponement, with the previous date set for July 2024.
The Supreme Court’s ruling has sparked a significant shift towards ensuring that local government councils operate independently and democratically, in line with constitutional mandates.
