The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has called on President Bola Tinubu to withhold allocations to states that have failed to conduct credible local government elections.
Recall that on October 5, elections were held at the grassroot levels in some states including Rivers, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Jigawa.
Most states, however, are yet to conduct local government polls and still receive allocations for their respective local councils.
SERAP, displeased by the development, described the action of some state governors as wrong.
In a statement by Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Sunday, SERAP asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, to immediately withhold federal allocations to states that have failed and/refused to conduct credible local government elections.
The organization also asked the President to ensure that any allocations from the Federation Account is paid only to democratically elected local government councils and no other body or institution.
SERAP urged the President to publish details of the number of local government councils that have directly received federal allocations and whether the councils are democratically elected, as provided for by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgment of 11 July 2024.
“Your government has the obligation to enforce the Nigerian Constitution and to prevent public wrong, including by state governors.
“A democratically elected local government council does not and should not exist at the pleasure, whims and caprice of governors or their political godfathers.
“Your government also has the constitutional obligation to ensure accountability for the spending of federal allocations and immediate compliance with the judgment by the Supreme Court and the rule of law,” SERAP said.
