CurrentReport Blog The Committee For the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Nigeria has called on state governors to promptly conduct local government elections across the country. This call comes amid growing concerns over the misuse of local government allocations by state governors, who are accused of treating these funds as personal wealth while appointing caretaker chairmen who hinder grassroots development and accountability.
Local Governments as Pillars of Grassroots Governance
The pro-democracy group emphasized the critical role of democratically elected local governments in bringing governance closer to the people and strengthening the nation’s democratic framework. According to CDHR, the appointment of caretaker chairmen has led to a lack of transparency and development at the grassroots level, as these appointees are often mere puppets of the state governors.
“Nigerians have suffered a lot in the hands of state governors who have turned local government allocations to their private wealth, remitting peanuts to the stooges they appointed as caretaker chairmen while using them as tools to deny the grassroots development and accountability,” CDHR noted.
Supreme Court’s Ruling on Local Government Autonomy
The organization’s plea is bolstered by the recent Supreme Court ruling, which mandated the Federal Government to commence immediate and direct payment of funds to local government accounts. This decision marks a significant shift towards financial autonomy for local governments, addressing the long-standing issue of state governments withholding funds meant for grassroots development.
The Attorney General of the Federation was commended by CDHR for filing the suit that led to this landmark judgement. The group described the Supreme Court’s ruling as a fantastic step towards ensuring local government autonomy.
Call to Action for State Governors
CDHR has issued a stern warning to state governors, urging them to conduct local government elections without delay. “Any state governor that didn’t call for conduct of the local government election in his state immediately should be seen as the enemy of the citizens in that state,” the organization asserted.
