Senate Slams Governors for illegal Dissolution of LG Councils
The Nigerian Senate has strongly condemned the growing practice of governors dissolving elected local government administrations in their states.
The Upper Chamber noted on Friday that despite the provisions of the constitution guarding against the interference of governors in the running of local government councils, they exist at the mercy of state governments.
These resolutions were taken in plenary following debate on a motion presented on the floor by Senator representing Benue South, Abba Moro.
In his lead debate, Senator Moro expressed concern over the dissolution of Democratically Elected Councils in Benue State.
He further noted that placing Caretaker Committees to replace Elected Councils is an aberration and alien to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Contributing to the debate, Senators Adams Oshiomhole, AliNdume, Abdulfatai Buhari and Victor Umeh lamented that 16 states run their local government areas with sole administrators or caretaker committees.
They therefore asked the Senate to direct the Finance Minister to stop funding LGS without elected council officials.
In his ruling, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who frowned at the establishment of multiple federal agencies, advocated the creation of the National Electoral Commission for Local Government so that governors would no longer have overbearing influence on council polls.
Meanwhile the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had accused Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State of undermining the rule of law with the recent appointment of caretaker committees for local government areas in the state.
The move, according to PDP, is lacking legal backing, and has raised questions about the governor’s commitment to the promised autonomy for local government administration.
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