*Describes council polls conducted by governors as sham
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Senate Thursday advised President Bola Tinubu to withold monthly allocations to state governments that would still be running caretaker committee arrangements in their local governments councils by the end of October.
The red chamber also knocked state governments over the council elections held in the last two weeks, describing the entire exercise as a sham.
The Senate's resolutions were sequel to the motion by Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South in the National Assembly.
Moro's motion was titled, "The Sham Benue Local Government Elections of Saturday, 5th October, 2024: Abuse of the Constitution and Need for Intervention by the Senate."
It was co-sponsored by some of his colleagues including Sen. Titus Zam Tartenger (Benue North West); Sen. Emmanuel Udende Memga (Benue North East; Sen. Nwoye Tony (Anambra North).
The red chamber condemned "the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission's blatant disregard for democratic principles in the sham local government elections of Saturday, 5th October, 2024"
They called on the "Benue State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct elections in those places where elections did not hold and allow the people to choose the representatives of their choice."
They also "urged relevant government institutions to nullify the sham elections and do the right thing in line with laid down principles of law."
The federal lawmakers further urged the Federal Government to deny allocations to Local Governments Council's where selections were done, akin to appointment of Caretaker Committees."
All the senators who contributed to the Senate on the motion noted with concerns that elections conducted by the various state electoral commissions were written and names of winners announced in government houses.
They alleged that the polls took place in the private homes of the chieftains of the ruling parties, making the entire process a mere coronation of candidates of the ruling party and not a proper election contemplated under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The senators equally noted that the provisions of Section 197 of the said Constitution, together with the Third Schedule, P. 11 of the Constitution have been grossly breached.
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They said the local government council elections recently conducted in various states were marred by rampant manipulation, thwarting the goal of establishing truly representative local governments in Nigeria,
In his comment, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session claimed that the local government elections were imperfect.
He said, "But let me point out that in a quiet moment, the elections were not perfect. The local government elections were not perfect."
The Senate President stressed the need to reposition the local government system of governance.
He said, "Now, the world needs to know that it is not limited to only the PDP states,that the share of local government elections goes beyond party lines.
"I think that's the conclusion of the Senate. And that we need for us to do something to reposition the local government as a third tier of government.
"What you are seeing here is that it has never really been a third tier of government.
"So we commend the Supreme Court of Nigeria for the ruling that the funds of local government should go directly to local governments.
"Then we on our part in the National Assembly must give it, we must take the next step to ensure that the decision that has been so far given by the Supreme Court becomes alive."
