Unelected Officials Reps
The House of Representatives urges RMAFC to withhold funds from local governments led by unelected officials.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the House of Representatives has directed the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to withhold allocations to local government areas run by unelected officials.
This decision follows a motion of urgent public importance by Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos) and Jonathan Gaza Gbewfi, highlighting the need to address state governments’ refusal to uphold democratic principles in local government administration.
The House also requested that RMAFC create a special account for allocations due to these local governments until elected representatives are in place.
Additionally, it called on the Attorney-General of the Federation to take legal action against any state that terminates the unexpired tenure of a local government.
Kuye said Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended guarantees the system of local government run by democratically-elected officials while state governments are to ensure their existence. According to him, the same section mandates the House Assembly of each state to make laws for the establishment, tenure, structure, composition, finance and functions of these councils.
Kuye stressed that the local government, as envisaged by the constitution, is the most important tier of government ‘as it is the closest to the people and forms the foundation of both the state and federal governments’.
He said: “In December 2023, the Senate passed a resolution to stop allocation to some states after debates on a motion sponsored by the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, on the urgent need to halt the erosion of democracy in local governments.
“Many Senators also urged the government to sanction states that have disrupted the democratic system in the local governments and installed unelected caretaker committees.
“The dissolution of democratically-elected councils is in direct contravention of Section 7 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court pronouncements on such matters and a deliberate affront on democracy. The number of states acting with impunity and in disregard to the constitution continues to increase as not less than 21 governors are currently running local government councils with caretaker committees
Unelected Officials Reps
“This impunity is a deliberate effort to upstage democracy, frustrate accountability and transparency in the local government, and also thwart their development potentials.”
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