President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio has said the Red Chamber will tinker with the 1999 Constitution (as altered) to give bite to the Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy.
Akpabio stated this Thursday in Uyo when he received in audience members of the Akwa Ibom state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to the erstwhile Interim National Secretary of the party, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.
A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, quoted Akpabio as saying: “I thank President Bola Tinubu, for looking for a way to bring the all needed autonomy to the local governments through the intervention of the Supreme Court. The Senate, under my leadership will tinker with the Constitution to ensure that the judgment is fully implemented without any loopholes for manipulation by the practitioners.”
Akpanudoedehe, it would be recalled, had defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) after losing out in the party’s leadership tussle.
Speaking further on the return of the party members, Akpabio said: “The only thing that is permanent in life is change. Before my coming into the APC, the party never won even a councillorship seat in the state and I came into the party in 2018, the then leaders of the party saw me as an enemy.
“During the 2019 elections, the APC worked against the APC. We had the best chance to have won the governorship and other elections in the state, but the then leaders refused to see it from that angle.
“I joined the APC so that we would be linked to the center and I thank God today that that dream finally came to pass in 2023. I am today the President of the Senate, through the grace of God Almighty, the support of President Bola Tinubu and my distinguished colleagues who elected me.
“God knew that I meant well for our people, so he elevated me to the position of the President of the Senate. When you raise people, your hands remain up and when you bring people down, your hands will also be down. So, follow person wey know road.
“On behalf of the party leadership, I welcome you back. I am happy that you have all returned to the party where you belonged. Now that you are back, May God bless you and grant the progressive desires of your hearts.”
…Returnees’ response
Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Eteubong Alex Umoh, Obong Kufre Akpan and Mrs Roseline Eyang said: “We never left the APC. We never joined any other party, because we know you as the leader of the party in the state. We all recognize the President of the Senate as our leader in the state. We refused to be weapons of war in the hands of anybody against you and the party leadership.
“We are happy that we are all here today. There is no division in the APC because we are now one united family.”
‘…LG poll to hold in Kaduna’
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) Thursday affirmed that it will go ahead with the local government elections scheduled for October 19, 2024, despite the apex court’s ruling on four-year tenure for local government officials.
Speaking with Blueprint, Commissioner for Public Affairs and Information at KADSIECOM, Professor Joseph Gambo Akpoko, emphasised that the state has its own laws governing local government elections.
He clarified that the state’s law allows flexibility for local government tenures.
“The Constitution of Nigeria provides states with the authority to modify their laws to suit their peculiarities. Whether a state opts for a two-year, three-year, or four-year tenure, it remains within the state’s legal framework,” Akpoko said.
It will be recalled that during a meeting with political parties a few months ago, KADSIECOM Chairperson, Hajiya Hajara Mohammed, announced that the local government elections would hold across the 23 local governments of the state.
Reiterating the position, Akpoko said the state will hold the elections despite losing 10 days to protests. He reaffirmed that the commission is strictly following the election timetable, which has not been altered.
The tenure of the current council officials, who were sworn in November 1, 2021, will expire on 31 October 2024, completing their three-year term in office.
The chairperson made it clear that the upcoming election will proceed based on this tenure, which has not yet been amended to reflect the Supreme Court ruling.
In a judgment delivered on May 11, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors should be extended to four years, in line with the terms enjoyed by state and federal executives.
The court highlighted the constitutional autonomy of local governments as the third tier of governance, stressing that local governments should enjoy political and financial independence from state authorities.
However, Professor Akpoko clarified that while the court’s ruling was significant, it does not supersede the legal framework established by the state.
“The Supreme Court may be right, but the Constitution supersedes all rulings. States have the constitutional power to establish their own laws regarding the tenure of local government officials, and that is the basis upon which we are proceeding with the upcoming elections,” Akpoko stated.
Holding similar view, a Kaduna-based legal expert who spoke with Blueprint, Mubarak Suleiman, supported KADSIECOM’s stance, explaining that while the Supreme Court’s ruling was legally binding, it may not immediately affect the current local government chairmen and councillors.
“The ruling might only apply to future tenures after states have conducted fresh local government elections and amended their laws accordingly,” Suleiman noted.