The Senate has urged the Federal Government to henceforth withhold statutory allocation to local councils without democratically elected leaders.
The Senate’s recommendation came after a debate on the ‘Urgent Need to Halt the Erosion of Democracy: The Dissolution of Elected Councils in Benue State’, sponsored by Sen. Abba Moro (Benne South).
The Senate condemned the arbitrary dissolution of democratically elected local council officials in Benue and other states in the country.
It also resolved to urge the Federal Government to review the Benue State governor’s dissolution of the elected council leaders and the constitution of caretaker committees; and reinstate the elected council executive forthwith.
The upper legislative chamber urged the governor of Benue State, Hycinth Alia, to adhere to his oath of office to obey the rule of law and defend the constitution of the country.
While leading the debate, Moro said he was dismayed by the dissolution of democratically elected council officials in Benue State.
According to him, replacing the elected chairmen with Caretaker Committees is an aberration and alien to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Quoting Section (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), he said it guarantees a system of local government by democratically elected councils.
He insisted that it is the constitutional responsibility of every state to ensure the existence of local councils by law.
He said that there were subsisting court rulings directing the governor, the House of Assembly, their agents, privies etc. not to tamper with the tenure of the elected council officials.
He therefore challenged the governor/Government of Benue State to first appeal the outstanding judgments, adding that the governor’s action was against the grain of the rule of law.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) pointed out that about 16 states in Nigeria were without democratically elected council officials.
He urged the Senate to direct the Finance Minister to stop funding local councils without elected council officials. Oshiomhole’s suggestion was supported by Senator Ali Ndume.
The senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari, indicated that the Electoral Act should be amended to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local council elections.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, also frowned at the establishment of multiple federal agencies but advocated the creation of the National Electoral Commission for Local Government so that governors would no longer have overbearing influence on council polls.
