The decision by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to shift the conduct of the local government election to next year has expectedly drew the ire of the opposition parties in the state. ACTING EDITOR, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM writes on the issue.
Last week, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for the first time officially in many months removed the lid on when the administration will conduct the local government election in the state.
Following the expiration of the tenures of the suspended chairmen, there have been concerns in the polity on what is the governmentโs next line of action as regards the next phase of the administration of the third tier of government.
According to the government, โThe tenure of the incumbent local government officials (expired on the 26th, November, 2020. But as we can see, there are so many complications; we are battling with the issue of wage bill, covid-19 and even the effect of the pandemic on the economy. So it is obvious that local government election cannot come up this year. It is not even in the budget for this year both in the original and revised one but it is being accommodated in the 2021 revised estimatesโ, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Salman Jawondo, told this medium last month.
Prior to the expiration of their tenures, the Kwara State government was accused of attempt to stifle governance in the grassroots with actions and acts that oppositions and critics of the government have latched on as signs that the Governor is not ready to conduct any council exercise this year.
After the election of the present government in the 2019 gubernatorial election, signs that governor was not ready to allow those he inherited at the council to continue, manifested early enough when he announced the dissolution of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), a body that is saddled with the conduct of the council election in the state.
That action was subsequently followed by the further suspension of the entire sixteen local government chairmen across the state over alleged acts of corruption based on the recommendation of the House of Assembly report that purportedly indicted the council officials.
While the issue generated much noise owing to the party disparity between the affected council bosses who were then in opposition PDP, the Governor went ahead to call in the EFCC after it initially set up its own internal investigative committee which was heavily criticized by the opposition. Even the โdefectionโ of the affected chairmen to the ruling APC appears not have sooth any nerveโ going by the aftermath of the Governor’s action to supposedly mischaracterised and ease them out of office unceremoniously.
But if the invitation of the EFCC by the Governor was to build up public confidence and believability that suspension of the embattled council bosses was not any kind of witch-hunt as being insinuated, the supposed foot-dragging of the anti-graft agency on the issue has not only questioned their involvement in the chess game the governor is said to be playing but has raised more dust than expected. If anything, it has even further eroded public confidence and robbed the government of any good intention in the matter. Several months after the EFCC was drafted into the picture, the agency is yet to come up with any tangible report on the issue except the indictment of the affected officials by the government internal committee.
Speaking on the issue, a public commentator, Sulaiman Abdulwaheed Olamilekan described the EFCC’s action as worrying especially on the sheer silence of the EFCC after it invitation to the table by the governor to purportedly hype its transparency and accountability index.
Sulaiman noted that โInitially, One would have thought the investigation is yet to be concluded, but the worrying issue is the sheer silence of the EFCC and the hidden agenda at the behest of the Governor to first have them in his political vanguard and then use them as sacrificial lambs at the end of their tenure.
โThey said justice delayed is justice denied pending the publication or pronouncement of the EFCC findings, the lingering suspension of the Local Council administrators is deemed a brazen mockery on the ideals of democracy except they are found culpable of the financial infringements brought against themโ, he added.
But before many public commentators pull out their pen on the issue, the polity has witnessed a flurry of criticisms on the attempt by the governor to foist TIC on the electorates and the state.
The government through the Attorney-General of the State exacerbated the narrative when it submitted that โWhen we get to the bridge, we will cross itโ when ask what will happen in the interim on the administration of the council in the state after the expiration of their tenure.
According to the main opposition party, PDP, the governor was โwarnedโ against appointing caretaker committees for the councils stressing that such action is unconstitutional, undemocratic, null and void.
โIt is a public knowledge that the tenure of the suspended chairmen of all the 16 local government councils in Kwara State (expired) on the 28 of November, 2020. We therefore call on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to immediately initiate process to conduct elections that will usher in new chairmen, in accordance with the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
โLocal governments are the closest to the people and are pivotal to guaranteeing effective governance and even development in any State. It is therefore important that the councils are run by persons with proven capacity, competence, integrity and are trusted by the people to do the job. The councils must not be left in the hands of charlatans that will be appointed by the governor and will only be there to do his biddings.
โThe Kwara PDP on this note, warns Governor Abdulrazaq against appointing caretaker committee chairmen for the councils. It is unconstitutional, undemocratic, null and void, as ruled by the Supreme Court. The Court had declared that any local government council run by caretaker committee is illegal and unconstitutional.
“The office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) had in a letter, implored state governments to comply with the provisions of the Constitution with regard to the administration of local governments in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court. The AGF notified state governments of the illegality of running caretaker committees in place of elected officials at the local governmentsโ, the PDP said.
Similarly, the Kwara State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), threatened to sue the Kwara State Government over the refusal to conduct the local government election in the state.
Its chairman, Lekan Alabi told Pilot Politics weekend in a telephone chat against the backdrop of the uncertainty that has surrounded the conduct of the election in the state.
The SDP party chairman said โWe may drag the government to court over the non conduct of the LG election because it looks as if this government is not prepared to hold it.
โThe tenure of the suspended chairmen (has ended) and nothing is on ground to show that we are going to have the elections.
โThis is not the spirit of the constitution. The constitution says the tenure of elected council chairmen is three years which was approved by the House of Assembly for each local government chairman’s tenure.
โSo why should they hold us to ransom. We will have to seek legal redress. Although this is a decision of our own party, but I know that other parties in Kwara State are not happy with the situation we found ourselves in Kwara as far as the issue of the local government is concernedโ, he added.
Now while many critics have accused the governor of deliberately refusing to conduct the council polls afraid of a referendum of poor performance that Kwarans might use the issue to pass on the government, the latter appeared to be finding a prime argument in the industrial court case that has trailed the dissolution of the KWSIEC by the National Industrial Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State.
The court, in a ruling which was obtained by National Pilot held that the dissolution was null and void adding that the claimant (KWSIEC) was removed from office for no disclosed reason.
It said the action did not follow the procedure prescribed by section 201(1) of the 1999 constitution.
The judgment with suit no NICN/IL/11/2019 which was delivered September 29th, 2020 by Justice K.D. Damulak, was between Hon Jimoh Gabriel Yemi, a staff of KWSIEC (claimant) and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Speaker, Engr Danladi Yakubu-Soliu and Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission as defendants.
With the look of things now, it is almost certain that the government has decided to go for the TIC arrangement especially with the call for party leaders and lackeys to forward names of their candidates for possible appointment. But how the opposition parties will react to that action remains to be seen.
