INEC should be authorized to conduct LG elections – Buhari’s ex-aide
A former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has called for the full authorization of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local government elections.
He also praised the Supreme Court’s ruling granting full financial autonomy to local governments.
Posting on his official X handle on Thursday, he wrote, “With the Supreme Court now granting full financial autonomy to local governments and preventing executive governors from dissolving elected local government officials to replace them with caretaker committees, complementing this landmark judgment is now equally important.”
The former aide also applauded the judgment which prevents executive governors from dissolving elected local government officials to replace them with caretaker committees.
He criticized the unethical influence of state governors on the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) and called for the authorization of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct LG elections.
“Therefore, INEC should also be authorized to conduct local government elections. This is important because many of our governors have total control over the state electoral commission (SIEC), which is supposed to elect, not select, the local government officials,” he tweeed.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria earlier made a landmark ruling on Thursday, declaring null and void the practice by state governors of withholding funds intended for local government administrations, asserting that such actions violate the autonomy guaranteed to local governments by the constitution.
The court criticized the use of state joint accounts by governors, which it argued had been exploited to the advantage of state governments.
The Supreme Court’s decision mandates that local governments manage their finances independently, emphasizing that funds must be allocated directly to the 774 local government councils in Nigeria, bypassing state governors.
