Chairman, Senate Services Committee, Senator Sunday Karimi, (APC, Kogi West) has said the National Assembly would enact a law that will empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local council elections.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Local council elections are currently being conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission or SIEC, under the state governments. The outcome of the election is always a subject of intense condemnation as governors of the ruling parties in the states usually ensure the parties win all the seats.
On Saturday, local council elections were held in Delta and Adamawa states and the state ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party or the PDP won all the available seats.
Following the supreme Court judgement that has forbidden the state governors from collecting local council allocations from the federation account, the senate has said it would also ensure absolute neutrality by insulating the local councils against the overarching influence of the state governors.
To achieve that it said a law would be enacted to ensure that INEC, which conducts federal and state governorship elections, will conduct the elections at the third tier of government.
Senator Karimi who spoke to journalists in Abuja urged Nigerians to keep faith that the National Assembly would ensure compliance by the various state governments while also taking up the responsibility of amending the constitution to address inherent contentious issues.
The Senator noted that, “Since 1999, the third tier of government literally speaking, has been nonexistent. State governments treated them as appendages of the state governments.
“No President has been able to change that. But, within one year, President Tinubu has returned the local government to the owners-the masses.
“Local governments, if well operated, will ensure a better existence for our people. President Tinubu took due cognizance of this and courageously took the bull by the horn.”
He warned that, “Some state governors will fight back. President Tinubu allowed the judiciary a free hand to operate in this particular instance, irrespective of the fact that he is but a first term President who may desire a comeback in 2027.”
He added that “I align myself with the President on this. It takes a man of the people, it takes a man of courage, it takes a man that knows and feels the pulse of the masses to make this happen.
“He has seen it all, as a former Senator and a former Governor. Former President Buhari promised to push this but lacked the presence of mind and political will to pursue it. It will not stop there.
“The National Assembly through our oversight responsibility will ensure that revenue from the federal purse goes to where it is supposed to go.
“We will ensure that the Supreme Court judgement is obeyed to the letter, that allocation is shared between the three tiers of government in accordance with the law.”
Karimi emphasised that to ensure that the local government elections are conducted by INEC, the National Assembly has a duty to amend the electoral act and the 1999 constitution to ensure that credible people are elected to the helms of the local government administration.
He said the local government autonomy “will ensure that capable individuals can step forward to contest local government elections.
“Experienced people will be needed to manage the funds effectively, and prioritise the development of the grassroots for the masses to become actively involved in shaping the future of their local governments.
“A lot of money that has gone to the local governments over the years were either taken over by the state governments through the joint account or not accounted for.
“Prosperity will remember President Tinubu for this epoch-making achievement, his second term is assured,” he stated.