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The inability of some of the states to conduct elections into their various Local Government Areas by their respective State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) are because of subsisting legal suits and complicity by the respective ruling political parties in these states, LEADERSHIP SUNDAY investigations have revealed.
House of Representatives last week declared as illegal the appointment of administrators of the various LGAs in 25 states of the federation.
However, investigations by our correspondents in some of the affected states indicate that there are subsisting legal suits challenging the conduct of the polls, which the ruling parties in such states claim was responsible for their inability to conduct the LG poll.
The findings also showed that in some of the states the opposition parties were not disposed to going into election with the composition of the SIECs, on the ground that their membership are card-carrying members of the ruling parties in their states.
In the states that have this problem, our investigation revealed that the parties in the opposition are insisting that the composition of the SIECs should comprise of persons without political affiliation.
Kano
In Kano State, chairman of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP, Alhaji Adamu Sumaila has assured that the state government will soon conduct local government election in the state, bringing an end to the rule of Interim Management Officers.
But, an opposition leader and member of the Congress for Progressive Change {CPC}, Alhaji Abdulmajid Danbilki Commander, said that the government was not sincere in the issue of local government election. He said, the state government was interested in current situation because the governor has absolute control on the council’s funds contrary to the provisions of the constitution.
However, Alhaji Adamu Sumaila debunked the claim, saying that the delay in conducting the election was to avoid holding an election that might be rejected by the people.
He said government would organize a credible election that would be acceptable by all.
Adamu debunked rumours that his party and the government in the state are delaying the local government election in view of the security situation in the state.
He then appealed to the people to continue to exercise patience and allow the authorities concern to be fully prepared for the election.
The PDP Chairman also stated that apart from the prevailing insecurity in the state, appropriate institutions to conduct the election would soon be in place to ensure the success of the process.
Osun
Osun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Akinrogun Sunday Akere has stated that the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola is a respecter of rule of law which hinders the state from conducting the local government election,stressing that the governor is a beneficiary of rule of law and he could not do otherwise.
Akere maintained that two cases were instituted against the State Independent Electoral Commission(OSSIEC) by the state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and five out of seven former members of the commission, which barred Governor Aregbesola from conducting the election into 30 local government areas of the state.
The Commissioner explained that the then eleven members of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) in the State House of Assembly during the administration of the former governor of the State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola challenged the composition of the state electoral commission members constituted by Oyinlola and the court granted them the relief.
He also explained that five out of the seven members are challenging the relief the lower court granted the ACN members at the Appeal court which is still pending, adding that there is no way the state can compose new members of the state electoral body while the case is still in court against the nullification of the former body.
Also speaking on the development, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Kolapo Alimi noted that what is still delaying the conduct of local government election was based on the case at the judicial arm of government.
Alimi said, “The last regime under the tutelage of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wanted to conduct the election in the year 2008, we fought them through judicial process, but they went on and conducted the election which was illegal. So, towards the end of their illegal tenure in office, we won through judicial process”.
He added that when the tenure of Osun State Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) expired, the Oyinlola administration reconstitute them without due process of law which later led to their outright dissolution by the competent court of law.
Alimi assured the people of the State that as soon as the case is finally laid to rest the State government would constitute the state electoral body that will conduct election into the 31 local government areas of the state.
Kaduna
The approval of nominees for the positions of caretaker chairmen and councilors for the councils by the Kaduna State House of Assembly and their subsequent inauguration by the governor on 12 July, 2011 has not gone down well with the opposition camp.
Justice G.I. Kurada of the Kaduna State High Court had on August 2, 2011, in his ruling, declared, pursuant to an originating summons brought before him by Maisamari that the Kaduna State Government does not have powers to make any law empowering them to appoint interim leadership for the LGs in view of Section 7 of the Constitution.
The court also declared that the earlier appointment of secretaries for the 23 LGs to act as interim administrators of their respective local governments was in breach of the constitutional provisions of Section 7(1) of the constitution.
Bowing to public outcry, the governor’s first move was to compose the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) and thereafter, authorized them to conduct elections.
But, the while the appointment of the commissioners of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) lasted, question over the credibility of Mrs. Hannatu Binyat as the chairperson of the commission has continued to raise dust within the political circuit.
The two major opposition parties, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have accused the state governor of appointing his own allies for the job of conducting credible elections.
The CPC and other opposition political parties alleged that Mrs. Binyat was not only a card carried member of Peoples Democratic Party, but had contested for the council chairmanship of her local government, Kaura, in 2007.
To this end, the CPC and ACN vowed to boycott the election if the SIECOM chairperson is not replaced with a neutral and non-partisan person to oversee the affairs of the local government election.
The CPC chairman, Ahmadu Yaro Cocacola, told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that “from all indication, the Government of Yakowa has marshaled out plans to rig the forthcoming election against the wish of the people of the state. We would follow all legal means to ensure that the chairperson is replaced with a more credible person. And if the legal option fails my party would boycott the exercise since there is no visible, free, fair and credible election in sight.”
On his part, the chairman of the ACN in Kaduna State, Barrister Mohammed Soba told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the opposition in the state would not allow anybody in any other political party to come and be an umpire in an election which the political party has an interest in.
“We are therefore, demanding for the immediate resignation or dismissal from that position. We will never partake and will not allow any election to be conducted under the chairmanship of that woman called Hannatu Binyat.
