LG autonomy: FG calls for scrapping state electoral commission
Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation, has said that there is a need for scrapping State Electoral Commissions, which he described as the main impediments to the development of local governments
Fagbemi, SAN, stated this at a one-day ‘Discourse on National Nigeria’s Security Challenges and Good Governance At the Local Government Levels” in Abuja on Monday.
The programme with the Theme: ‘Nigeria’s Security Challenges And Good Governance At The Local Government Levels’ was organised by the House of Representatives.
Fagbemi, who accused governors of exploring the weaknesses of Section 7(1), Section 83(3), Section 7(5) and others to impose their will on the local governments in the country, also latched on to the inadequacies and lacunas in some sections of the 1999 Constitution to undermine and render local governments redundant.
Fagbemi noted that these inadequacies have allowed the governors to abuse the rights of local governments and, in turn, deprive people at the grassroots to feel their presence.
The Minister of Justice stated that the most prominent abuse of local government was using state electoral commissions to impose leaders at the local government levels through sham elections, while most Governors only appoint caretaker leadership in their local governments.
He, therefore, called for the scrapping of State Electoral Commissions to allow democracy to take its roots in the local governments and a robust constitutional amendment that will remove all encumbrances hindering the development of local governments and their ability to fulfil their constitutionally recognised functions.
He said, “To achieve this, many experts have proposed that there is a need for the scrapping of the state independent electoral commission. Their functions and powers should be transferred to the independent national electoral commission because the state independent electoral commission remains an appendage to every incumbent governor. This is perceived as the root cause of the problem of local government administration in Nigeria.”
Fagbemi’s comment comes after he filed a suit against governors at the Supreme Court on behalf of the Federal Government, where he asked the apex court to stop the remitting of local government funds to states and to stop the 36 state governments from the disbandment of elected local government chairmen and replacing them with caretaker committees.
