The bid to actualise local government autonomy in Nigeria does not seem to unfold into a reality any time soon, as 313 out of the 774 local councils are still run by sole administrators or caretaker committees.
The issue of local government autonomy has been a contentious one in Nigeria, with many local councils struggling to assert their independence from state governments.
Despite provisions in the constitution that mandate regular local government elections and grant local government areas (LGAs) autonomy, most state governors have refused to comply.
LEADERSHIP checks revealed that most state governors have failed to conduct local government elections, with many councils being run by caretaker committees appointed by the governors.
This has led to complaints of undemocratic practices and a lack of accountability.
There are reports highlighting the reluctance of state governors to grant full autonomy to local councils, with many councils being starved of funds and unable to carry out their statutory functions.
This has led to a breakdown in service delivery and a lack of development at the grassroots level.
Many stakeholders have been calling for a review of the constitution to strengthen the autonomy of local councils, but progress has been slow, with many state governors resisting efforts to reform the system.
Of the 774 LGAs in the country, 461 are run by elected officials, while 313 others are run by sole administrators or caretaker committees.
The 461 elected officials are spread across 20 states out of the 36 states of the federation.
This means that 16 states run their local government areas with sole administrators or caretaker committees.
The states with elected council officials are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Delta, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi and Jigawa.
Others include Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Taraba and Rivers.
In Kaduna State, there are elected local government chairmen in place, local government polls conducted by the immediate past governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on September 4, 2021.
However, residents of the state have scored the elected local government chairmen low in service delivery, calling for the state government to fully grant autonomy to the third tier of government for speedy socio-economic development in the rural areas.
There are elected council chairmen in office in Delta State, following the local government elections conducted in the state on March 6, 2021 to elect 25 local government chairmen and 500 local government councillors in all 25 LGAs.
It is the first election to be held using new electoral wards after the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission created 34 new wards in December 2020.
The Delta State PDP won all 25 chairmanship and 500 councillors seats, while the main opposition, the APC, announced a boycott of the elections on election day due to alleged irregularities.
Edo State has elected council chairmen in the 18 LGAs, with the last council election conducted in September 2023, where the ruling party in the state, the PDP, won all the LG seats.
Enugu State has elected local government chairmen whose tenure will expire by December 2023.
Already, the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) has released a timetable for replacing the outgoing chairmen in the 17 local government areas of the state in December 2023.
Local government chairmen have renewable tenure of two years but for only two terms.
The last local government election was conducted in 2021, but the APC has expressed dissatisfaction with the timetable for the next polls, saying the electoral body lacks credibility.
In Lagos, local government election was held in July 2021 across 57 local councils in the state to elect their local government chairmen and councillors.
Fifteen political parties were registered for the election, according to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) but the APC candidates swept the polls in a landslide.
Lagos originally has 20 LGAs, while 37 LCDAs were created in addition.
In Adamawa State council chairmen were elected in the 21 LGAs of the state in the last council election conducted in April 2022, with the PDP winning all the 21 seats.
There have been duly elected local government executives in Ekiti State since the last local government election was held in in December 2021.
Another council election is scheduled to hold this Saturday, December 2, 2023, following the expiration of the two-year term of the local government executives.
The polls, according to the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), would be conducted in all 177 wards, the 16 local governments and 22 local development areas (LCDAs) of the state.
There are 21 LGAs in Kogi State and they are all headed by executive chairmen who were elected in December 2020.
All the elected council chairmen are currently in office except that of Lokoja LGA who died on November 10, 2023. Their tenure is expected to end by December 2023
Katsina State has elected executive chairmen in the 34 local government councils of the state. They were elected on April 11, 2022 and sworn on the 20th April, 2022.
In Kwara, the story is different as the 16 local government areas of the state are currently being managed by chairmen of Transition Implementation Committees (TIC) appointed by the state governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq.
However, the governor has inaugurated the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC) led by Alhaji Musa Kalla, preparatory to the conduct of the council poll.
The government, in a statement issued on October 31,2023 and signed by the special adviser on Media, Alhaji Bashir Adigun, said “The stage is set for the conduct of the local government elections.”
Local government election was last conducted in the state in 2017 by the administration of former Governor Abdulfatahi Ahmed.
In Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, on assumption of office in June this year, dissolved the 17 elected council chairmen, all of the APC.
The APC went to court and obtained an injunction. Consequently, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered that all the council secretariats be sealed to prevent breakdown of law and order in the state.
Recall that Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) had conducted local government elections in the state in 2021.
In Gombe State, there are 11 local government councils but the last time local councils polls were held in the state was in December 2020.
All the local government areas were won by the ruling APC, but since the last election in 2020, caretakers have been running the affairs of the local governments.
LEADERSHIP reports that since the inception of the Inuwa Yahaya-led administration in the state, the local governments elections were conducted only once by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).
In Benue State, the last election of the local government council chairmen in was held in May 2022 during the Samuel Ortom-led administration.
The State House of Assembly, a few months back, recommended the immediate suspension of the 23 local government council chairmen in the state as well as the councils over alleged mismanagement of public funds.
Our correspondent gathered that the suspended chairmen’s tenure was supposed to end in June 2024.
Currently in Ondo State, the 18 local government areas in the administration are being run by interim caretaker committees.
The state government had recently dissolved the elected 18 local government council chairmen and councilors in the state after the expiration of their tenure.
The last local government election which was conducted by the state Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) was on Saturday August 24, 2020.
The commission had hinted that it will conduct the next local council election in February 2024 in the existing 18 local government areas and the 33 LCDAs newly created by the state government.
The states with elected council officials are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Delta, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi and Jigawa.
Others include Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Taraba and Rivers.
