By Bello Hamza, Abuja
The Reformers for Good Governance of Nigeria (RGGN), a group of political activists based in Abuja, has urged the Federal Government to immediately halt all local government elections being conducted by state governments, calling them illegal and fraudulent.
This follows a recent Supreme Court judgment, which they say restricts states from controlling local government areas (LGAs).
In a press conference held in Abuja, the leader of the RGGN and a prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholder, Hon. Aminu Aliyu Tiga, called for swift action to prevent what he described as the handpicking of political cronies in state-run local government elections.
Tiga, a grassroots politician from Kano State, argued that if the situation is not addressed, the objectives of the Supreme Court ruling would be undermined.
He questioned the rush by states to conduct local government elections after the Supreme Court’s decision, which, according to him, strips states of the authority to control LGAs.
“It is like a teacher setting an examination for a class he does not have access to teach or control,” he remarked, highlighting the perceived absurdity of the situation.
Tiga also noted that a bill granting an agency the power to oversee local government elections has already passed its second reading in the National Assembly.
He urged the Federal Government to take a firm stance, asking, "If states no longer have control over LGAs, why is this bill before the National Assembly?"
The RGGN leader also expressed dismay at the silence of some federal lawmakers who, despite being aware of already-conducted local government elections in various states, have not taken action.
He raised concerns about reports of sitting Senators and House of Representatives members losing their wards and polling units in some of these elections.
Hon. Tiga concluded by urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withhold the voter register from states planning local government elections until the National Assembly passes a law providing clear guidelines on how such elections should be conducted.
He emphasized the need for transparency and an end to what he described as “fraudulent handpicked elections.”
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