TIC
MEMBERS:
GROUP URGES PLATEAU STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY TO
RESCIND DECISION AND REINSTATE DISSOLVED ELECTED LG STRUCTURES
By
Ayuba Jacob
Saturday,
22nd July, 2017
Members of the Plateau State House of
Assembly have been urged to rescind their earlier approval and restrain the
Governor Simon Bako Lalong from appointing what they described as “illegal”
Chairmen, Secretaries and Ward Councillors across the State.
This is the call of a group known as
Grassrot Mirror, a platform that consists of former elected representatives at
the Local Government level in Plateau State which is contained in a statement
signed by Hon. Ayuba Jagaba and Hon. Sunday Niagwan, Chairman and Secretary of
the group respectively. The statement read in parts;
“The Grassroot Mirror is a platform that
consists of former elected representatives at the Local Government level,
lovers of democracy and good governance at the grassroot with the sole aim of
protecting and promoting democratic structures, values and principles of good
governance.
We are aware of communication to the
Plateau State House of Assembly by the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Rt.
Hon. Simon Bako Lalong for the appointments of Local Government Chairmen and
Secretaries which were subsequently confirmed by the House in a controversial
and unconstitutional manner.
“As an interested party to the survival
of democracy and good governance in Plateau State and Nigeria as a whole we
make our modest observations and contributions on the appointments of APC
Members as Chairmen, Secretaries and Ward Councillors across the State instead
of conducting Local Government Elections.
The battle to have Local Government
Councils under the jurisdiction of States came into effect in 2002 with the
landmark Supreme Court judgment against the Federal Government supervision of
the Councils. There has emerged however, a worrisome trend in the dominant
leadership at the Federal and State levels expecting total control and
patronage from the Chairmen and Councillors at the Local Governments.
The group added,“Some States,
particularly Plateau State, have taken the lead by appointing persons of the
ruling political party as care-taker committee Chairmen and Members. In spite
of the outcry by the people of Plateau State, the Barrister Simon Bako
Lalong-led administration has gone ahead to appoint APC Members as Chairmen,
Secretaries and Ward Councillors to the detriment of other political parties
when elections are supposed to be conducted to fill the vacuum created in the
Local Government Council due to non-existence of democratically elected
representatives. This has negated the essence for the establishment of Local
Government system which clearly contravenes the provision of the Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended).
Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution
clearly and unambiguously guarantees the system of Local Government by
democratic election not by selection. Going by this provision, neither the
Federal Government nor State Government is empowered by the Constitution to
either dissolve or postpone elections into Councils. Rather, if it feels the
activities of the Councils does not meet with desired and constitutional
expectations, it can make proposals to the National Assembly for amendments to
the Constitution concerning Local Government structures and operations in the
Country.
“From all indications, there is nothing
wrong with the idea of setting up Local Governments and having them headed by
elected officials, neither is there anything wrong with the power extended to
State House of Assembly constitutionally to legislate on affairs of Local
Government Councils. What is very disturbing is the paradox of refusing to
conduct elections at the Local Government level while elections were conducted
at the State and Federal levels. Ironically, democratic structures at the Local
Government level were the first to be established in 1998 and served as the
cornerstone for the subsequent emergence of similar structures at other levels
following the return to civilian rule.
Like the proverbial situation of a
ladder, recent development seems to suggest that beneficiaries of these
arrangements have turned around to kick down the very ladder the used to climb
up, to be replaced by unconstitutional arrangements to service narrow, selfish
and illegal motives”.
The group posed the following questions;”
Why was it possible for elections to be conducted at both States and Federal
levels and not for Local Government Councils as when due? If it is true that
the essence of the claimed reforms of Local Governments is to avoid corruption,
wastage of funds and inefficiency, why not at all levels? Is it right or
constitutional to dissolve democratic structures and deny democratic
representation at the Local Government level? With the present arrangement in
the State, is this not a time bomb waiting to explode, if competing interests
are not sensibly balanced through credible elections? Is it not ironic that
while the government is complaining of wastage and inefficiency at the Local
Governments level, they have chosen an equally wasteful and corrupt means of
siphoning public funds by appointing persons who are not accountable to the
electorates?” Consequently, the group made the following demands;
“We are calling on the Honourable House
as the true representative and the voice of the people to rescind on its
earlier approval and restrain the Executive Governor from appointing the
illegal Chairmen, Secretaries and Ward Councillors across the State as this
action is unconstitutional, undemocratic and unacceptable.
We are calling on the House to prevail
on the Governor to reinstate the illegally dissolved Local Government
structures to complete their constitutional mandate OR immediately conduct
elections into the Local Government Councils.
Failure of the State House of Assembly
to act swiftly on the above stated position could be met with resistance by the
people of Plateau State to defend their Constitutional right.
In conclusion, we look forward to an
affirmative action by the Plateau State Governor and State House of Assembly on
the sensitive issues raised and also hope Plateau State will overcome the
teething problems associated with backward democracies that have remained
static under the guise of the learning process”.
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