BY SUNNY A. DAVID
Tension is mounting in the political landscape as the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, has warned that local government elections conducted without six months’ notice will face nullification.
Olasunkanmi stated this at the 12th convocation of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
According to him, any State Governor who fails to give six months’ notice before conducting local government elections will face nullification in courts.
This comes after the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) conducted local government polls in the State on September 28, with only one month’s notice to political parties and candidates.
Frowning at such development, the AGF said “Any state Governor who fails to give six months’ notice before conducting local government elections will face nullification in courts.”
Lately, State Governors across the country are reportedly engaging in late minute rushes to conduct local elections without recourse to the law setting up election matters just to meet up with the alleged three-month moratorium
While some States gave up to four months’ notice before the council polls, a good number of Governors gave between three weeks and one month’s notice to the election, while some State Houses of Assembly amended the local government laws to suit their masters’ political whims and caprices.
Reacting to the frenzy by Governors to conduct local elections as well as on the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy, Fagbemi denied that there was no truth to reports suggesting that State Governors had been granted a three-month moratorium to delay the implementation of the court’s decision.
Fagbemi added: “The ruling (Supreme Court) ensures the financial autonomy of all 774 local governments,” pointing out that some State governments have scheduled local elections beyond the October deadline and may face legal challenges if their actions do not align with the law.
“Typically, six months’ notice is required for elections, and failing to meet this condition could result in nullification by the courts,” he said.
