The Human Rights and Judgement Enforcement Advocates (HRJEA) has called on Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago to immediately suspend the planned November 25 local government election, warning that it would unlawfully cut short the tenure of incumbent council executives.
At a press briefing in Minna on Friday, HRJEA Chairman Barrister Mohammed Alfa insisted that dissolving elected LG officials before their constitutionally guaranteed four-year term expires would violate the Electoral Act 2022 and undermine grassroots democracy.
Supreme Court Order Ignored?
Alfa also challenged state governors nationwide to fully comply with the July 11, 2024, Supreme Court judgment granting financial and administrative autonomy to local governments. Citing Section 163(3) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution, he demanded that federal allocations be paid directly to LG accounts—without state government interference.
“One year after this landmark ruling, how many states are actually implementing it?” Alfa questioned, accusing governors of deliberately sabotaging President Bola Tinubu’s poverty alleviation agenda by strangling LG funds.
Challenge to Governors’ Forum
The rights lawyer specifically called out Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman Senator Hope Uzodinma to prove the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s commitment to Tinubu’s reforms by enforcing full LG autonomy before the next federal allocation is disbursed.
FCT Council Tenure Clarified
On the Federal Capital Territory’s area councils, Alfa cited Section 108(1) of the Electoral Act, which stipulates a fixed four-year tenure from the date of oath-taking—a provision he urged Niger State to adopt rather than forcing early elections.
Grassroots Protest Looms
The group threatened to mobilize nationwide protests by August 25 if governors continue withholding LG funds. “We will lead a mass revolt from the grassroots because this is about the survival of 774 local governments,” Alfa declared.
The Niger State government is yet to respond to the demands as pressure mounts for subnational compliance with the Supreme Court’s autonomy order.
