The statement added the new legislation was aimed at allowing the “unlawful caretakers” appointed by the governor to continue being in power till the next 360 days.
A civil society organisation, the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD) has lambasted the Kwara State House of Assembly for pushing the state local government election to 2025.
In a press statement made available to SaharaReporters on Saturday signed by Alagbonsi Abdullateef, the Group Coordinator, the group said the state lawmakers took the decision to please the interest of the State Governor.
The statement added the new legislation was aimed at allowing the “unlawful caretakers” appointed by the governor to continue being in power till the next 360 days.
The statement reads: “ENetSuD has carefully studied the Kwara State Local Government Electoral (Amendment) Law 2024, which was passed by the Kwara State House of Assembly (KWHA) on 23rd January 2024 and assented to by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on 26th January, 2024.
“Again, the 10th KWHA, just like the 9th KWHA, under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, has shown to be the House of the Governor rather than being the House of the People.
“The people of Kwara State supported the popular advocacy by lovers of democracy, local government (LG) autonomy and the rule of law by insisting that the 90-day notice for LG election in the principal Law should not be changed to 360 days as proposed by the Governor.
“The people of Kwara State had envisaged the bad motive of such extension as proposed by the Governor, which was calculated to delay the conduct of local government election in the state until year 2025 and allow the illegal Transition Implementation Committees (TICs) that have been sacked by the Courts to continue operating our LG system.
“Against the popular demand of the people, Dandali-led KWHA has prioritised the command of the governor over the demand of Kwarans. This was done as the Assembly under his leadership altered section 20(1) of the Law to extend the notice of LG election from 90 days to 360 days as commanded by the governor.
“At ENetSuD, we are worried that the KWHA, albeit elected by the citizens, is an extension of the Governor’s appointed cabinet, as they lack the enthusiasm and charisma to put an end to the wrongdoings of the governor but only expertise in desperately implementing the undemocratic agenda of the governor.
“It was the 9th KWHA under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi that masterminded the dissolution of democratically-elected 16 Local Government Councils in the State and paved way for the unlawful appointment of illegal TICs, who have been repeatedly sacked by the Courts but still remained in office by force with impunity.
“It is the same Danladi-led 10th KWHA that the governor has now used to legalise his sole desire of conducting LG election in year 2025 against the clear and unambiguous judgments of the High and Appeal Courts that the Governor should immediately conduct LG election towards producing a constitutionally-recognized and democratically-elected LG Councils in Kwara State.
“How the KWHA led by Rt. Hon Danladi have been succeeding in killing the LG system conspiratorially with the Governor is alarming, especially as most of the lawmakers came from LGs that are victims of the collapse of the LG system, where the citizens they represent lack access to potable water, education, road, healthcare, electricity, food, among other basic needs.
“While ENetSuD has been vindicated about the earlier publication related to the government’s plan to delay the LG election until 2025, we are using this opportunity to urge the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) to disregard the 360-day provision in the section 20(1) of the amended law and set the LG election to an earlier period. This will re-position KWSIEC as an independent commission as envisaged by the Nigerian Constitution, rather than an entity controlled by the body language of the Commission.”