* C’River Council Polls To Be Challenged


The Local Government elections conducted on Nov. 2, 2024 may be nullified in challenged in the court as the Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, , SAN, has stated that any Local Government elections conducted without six months notice  will face nullification in courts.


The Abia State LG polls was conducted in less than six weeks as the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, ABSIEC gave notice for the conduct of the elections on Sept. 21 and the election was conducted on Nov. 2, 2024.


Chief Fagbemi, while reacting to the frenzy by State  governors to conduct LG elections as well as on Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy at the 12th convocation of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti,  stated that there is no truth to reports suggesting that State governors had been granted a three-month moratorium to delay the implementation of the court’s decision.


Fagbemi said: “The ruling ensures the financial autonomy of all 774 LGAs” pointing out that ” some State governments have scheduled local elections beyond the October deadline and may face legal challenges if their actions do not align with the law.


"Typically, six months’ notice is required for elections, and failing to meet this condition could result in nullification by the courts,” he said


The Abia LG polls has been widely criticised as falling short of the requisite standards of free and fair process.


In a statement after the polls, a political association, the the For Us By Us, FUBU Movement, states that it ". unequivocally reject the fraudulent outcome of the recently concluded local government elections. The people of Ikwuano/ Umuahia North/ South Federal Constituency will not be intimidated nor will we tolerate rigging in any form. It is abundantly clear that the struggles and sacrifices we have made to liberate Abia State are being undermined", facilitator of the group, Ugwumba Chika Ishionwu stated in a press statement 


In a related development, the Cross River State PDP may challenge outcome of the LG elections in the State in the Court


In statement posted on his Facebook wall captioned, ‘Nightmare of the Governors’, the Cross River State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Venatius Ikem, said: “No law of the House of Assembly of a State can validly interfere or deal in any manner with money distributed to local government council from Federation Account as stated in Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, JSC., in Attorney General of the Federation vs Attorney-General of Abia State & 35 others.”


According to Ikem, ” the era of Government House Calabar capturing local government money of over N6 bn monthly is over.


"The Supreme Court also held affirming it’s earlier judgement in Ajuwon Vs Gov of Oyo State that. A democratically elected local government council does not exist at the pleasure of, whims and caprice of either the governor or the House of Assembly.


The misconception by the state authorities that the Constitution does not intend to grant and guarantee autonomy to the local government is only a brainwave nurtured by sheer aggrandizement and megalomaniac instinct to conquer and make the local government mere parastatals of the state.


“All those percentage deductions for RUDA, Rural Electrification, Sports Commission, Primary School renovation, Primary Healthcare, renovations,  purchase of aircrafts, etc under any guise at all, which is fueling the appetite for the selection of local government chairmen that cannot say no is an exercise in futility.


“Never again shall we abdicate responsibility in the face of the clear pronouncement of the Supreme Court judgement.


"It will not require a council chairman to challenge the deductions. Any citizen can validly challenge the State Government in any Court of Law to enforce this judgment. We will be meeting in Court.”