Autonomy: List of 21 Governors Who Refuse to Conduct LG Elections and Why
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No less than 21 governors in Nigeria have refused to conduct local government elections in their states, influencing the call for the council's autonomy, which the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government even supports.
The governors of these states are running the local council affairs with caretaker committees they appoint.
Source: Twitter
As reported by The Punch, the governors' actions are contrary to Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, which mandated that the affairs of local government in Nigeria must be governed with elected personnel.
Currently, Nigeria has 774 local government areas across the country, and they are meant to serve as the third tier of government.
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Reacting to the matter, a legal practitioner, Okanlawon Gaffar, who spoke with Legit.ng on the matter, condemned the situation and expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will do justice to it.
He said:
"What is happening in states where local government elections were not being conducted is condemnable. I believe the Supreme Court will do justice to the matter."
Tinubu fights for LG autonomy
The call for the local councils' autonomy has increased recently, and President Tinubu has never hidden his support for it. In May, the federal government approached the Supreme Court with a suit seeking to compel the 36 governors in the country to allow the local governments to operate in their domain with full autonomy.
At the moment, the LGs receive 20.60 per cent of the country's revenue, as shared by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission; states get 26.72 per cent, and the federal government 52.68 per cent.
The revenue was domiciled under the presidency and shared by the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
However, the local council funds were paid into a joint account operated by the LGs and the state governments they operated.
Below are some of the governors
Jigawa dissolves elected council officers
The Jigawa state government dissolved the 27 local government administrations on June 28, 2024.
This followed the amendment of the local government law by the state assembly. The law extended the time for new council election by one year and ordered the appointment of caretaker committees before the poll.
The government has yet to provide updates on the development, but it was said that the appointees may assume the responsibilities due to the amendment.
Governor Fubara appoints caretaker committee
The governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, recently appointed a caretaker committee following his power struggle with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
A factional state House of Assembly had extended the tenure of the council chairmen following the governor's refusal to conduct LG elections in the state.
When did Anambra appoint council chairs?
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state, on June 20, 2024, appointed transition committee chairmen for the 21 local governments in the state. The governor did that through the state assembly.
The assembly confirmed the appointment, citing Section 20 of the local government law 1999 as amended, following a request from the state governor.
Uzodimma has never conducted council polls
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo state has never conducted a local government election since becoming governor in 2020.
The last local government election in the state was on August 25, 2018, the first of its kind in seven years.
Governor AbdulRasaq never conducted LG elections
Like his counterpart in Imo, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq has never had local government elections since becoming the governor of Kwara state.
It was reported that the last local government election in the state was held in November 2017, and the caretaker committees have been running the councils since 2020.
Other governors in this category are:
| S/N | Governors' Name | States |
| 1 | Dauda Lawal | Zamfara |
| 2 | Hyacinth Alia | Benue |
| 3 | Bala Muhammed | Bauchi |
| 4 | Caleb Mutfwang | Plateau |
| 5 | Alex Otti | Abia |
| 6 | Enugu | Peter Mbah |
| 7 | Dikko Umar Radda | Katsina |
| 8 | Abba Kabir Yusuf | Kano |
| 9 | Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto | Sokoto |
| 10 | Mai Mala Buni | Ondo |
| 11 | Lucky Aiyedatiwa | Ondo |
| 12 | Ademola Adeleke | Osun |
| 13 | Sheriff Oborevwori | Delta |
| 14 | Umo Eno | Akwa-Ibom |
| 15 | Bassey Edet Otu | Cross River |
What governors can pay
Legit.ng earlier reported that the minimum wage drama between the governors and organised labour concerning the N60,000 proposed by the federal government has continued to elicit reactions.
Weighing into the issue, Okanlawon Gaffar, a lawyer, told Legit.ng that a uniform minimum wage is unhealthy for state governments.
The legal practitioner said each state should be able to determine its minimum wage based on its capacity and internal revenue.
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Source: Legit.ng
