Group calls for sack of LG Sole Administrators, Caretaker Committees

A civil rights organization, the United Action for Change, has called for the immediate conduct of elections into elective positions at the Local Government Councils and disbandment of caretaker committees and Sole Administrators in states where elections had not held.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos on Monday, Ademola Adewale, the Coordinator of the group, frowned at the flagrant violations of the provisions of the constitution by State Governments on the conduct of local elections.
Adewale, flanked by other leaders of the UAC, said the group would not hesitate to embark on mass action if the erring state governments failed to sack “illegal” caretaker governments and conduct elections into various elective offices in the local governments, adding that the affected governors had committed impeachable offences.
He said: “The dictatorial tendencies and dispositions of State Governors who insist on democratic tenets only to protect their personal interests but launch concerted attacks on democracy at the grassroots call for serious concern from all and sundry.
“The system of local government by democratically elected local government is constitutionally guaranteed by Section 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).
“It is, therefore, mandatory for every State to ensure the existence of local government councils under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils in accordance with the stipulations of Section 8 of the Constitution.
“Thus, elections must be periodically and mandatorily conducted into Local Government Councils.
“So there is no place for the dissolution of Local Government Councils by State Governments or replacement of such by the appointments of Caretaker Committees or Sole Administrators as has become the norm in most states of the Federation.”
The group also demanded full financial autonomy for the Local Governments, arguing that funds that should had been deployed to the development of infrastructure and provision of critical basic social amenities at the Council level were being illegally cornered under guises of various spurious deductions.
Citing the relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution, the group Coordinator averred: “Our Constitution has further emphasised the existence of Local Government Councils as a democratic institution entitled to financial autonomy by the prescription of Section 162(3) thereof which prescribes as follows:
“Any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and State Governments and the local government councils in each State on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.”
Explaining further, Adewale, a lawyer, said: “The implication of the above is that the various Local Government Councils are entitled to various amounts from the Federation Account which must be protected in line with the prescription of the National Assembly.
“The State Governments do not have power to make deductions from such allocations and neither can they purloin such funds to the detriment of the Local Government Councils.
“In addition to the allocation coming from the Federation Account, the Constitution, by Section 162(7) further prescribes that: ‘Each State shall pay to local government councils in its area of jurisdiction such proportion of its total revenue on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.’
“The provision above has rather been observed in the breach by the various State Governments. It is unconstitutional for a State Government to make deductions from the allocations to the Local Government Councils under any guise.
“It is undemocratic as the Local Government Councils are denied the capacity to bring any meaningful development to the Council Areas.
“Rather than making further allocation from the State total revenue to the Local Government Councils as prescribed by the Constitution, most States, except for Kaduna State, has been denying the Local Government Councils of this constitutional revenue.”
In conclusion, Ademola presented immediate demands of the UAC which include:
Immediate conduct of elections to fill the relevant offices of every Local Government Council in every State where same is not yet done and the aberration of Caretaker Committee or Sole Administrator is allowed to dominate;
· Immediate commencement of impeachment proceedings by the House of Assembly against any Governor who is frustrating the democratic existence of Local Government Councils in any State of the Federation;
· Immediate compliance with the Constitution by the members of the Houses of Assembly as they have sworn to protect and enforce same to the beneficial development of Nigerians.
· Where there is failure to observe the Constitution as stated above by the House of Assembly members, we urge the constituents of every Local Government Area to commence recall proceedings against any member who lends himself to this conscienceless violation of the Constitution.