Benue LG polls to hold one week after tenures of suspended chairs elapse

The Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) has fixed July 6 as the date for the LG election.

The proposed date would be a week after the tenures of the current LG chairs elapse on June 29.

Currently, chairs of the 23 LGs of the state are on suspension.

The Benue house of assembly approved their suspension in June 2023 after allegations of financial misappropriation were levelled against them by Hyacinth Alia, governor of the state.

Sesugh Akume, a businessman in Benue, in a suit marked MHC/346/2024, is challenging their suspension and has asked a high court in the state to reinstate the suspended LG chairs.

In a statement on Monday, Akume said he would still be proceeding with his case.

“The suit was filed as an urgent one, along with an application to assign it to a court speedily and for it to be heard and dispensed with expeditiously, but in a surprising turn of events, it took up to 2 weeks for the matter to be assigned to a court, and no date has been set for its commencement yet,” he said.

“We have been made aware of ‘Public Notice 01 2024’ released by BSIEC dated 5 April, and signed by the BSIEC chairman, kick-starting the electoral process which began on 29 March with the inauguration of the Commission by the governor, and culminates on 6 July with the conduct of the elections.

“In spite of this, we shall be proceeding with our matter when the court sets the date.

“Conducting local government elections on 6 July, one week after the expiration of the term of the current elected local government executives, as set by BSIEC, is an obvious violation.

“BSIEC ought to ensure that elections are conducted as and when due, such that the new officials would be sworn in on 29 June no more, no less.

“BSIEC should never make itself and cause others to be in breach and contravention of the Constitution by giving room for illegal, undemocratic, unconditional local government administrations even for one day.

“Without regularly-scheduled and predictable local government elections, as well as dates for inaugurating new officials, there can never be local government autonomy.”

Akume added that without local government autonomy and the rule of law “there can never be development”.