Revert to status quo on LGs, IPAC tells Kaduna assembly

THE Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Kaduna chapter, has urged the state Assembly to reverse the state electoral law of 2012, which gave local government chairmen the powers to rule for only two years instead of three years. Speaking at a news conference in Kaduna, the interim chairman of the council, Alhaji Musa Idris noted that the issues bordering on expiration of the local government councils, appointment of interim management committee, its extension and subsequent purported amendment of the constitution, had been manipulated by the immediate past executive and legislative arms. According to him, the issue of the tenure of chairmen of local government councils in the state, had continued to generate tension. Citing section 14(1) of the Kaduna State Laws as an example, he said, it provided for two- year tenure for a council that had been duly elected. “The law further provides in subsection (3) that where election cannot be held, the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) shall prepare and present to the State House of Assembly such information and detailed particulars as are necessary to warrant a deliberation on the issue. “The law under section (3) (B) (C) gives the House of Assembly power to advise the governor to extend the tenure of the council for a period of 90 days at first instance, and another final 90 days on a second instance as the case maybe.” “While section 14(3) (C) in line with section 25 of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission Law No. 11 of 2012 clearly highlights the role of SIECOM on issues of elections, where 90 days each for first and second instance are the maximum extension period. However, the chairman contended that through a curious amendment called law No. 11 2014, the provisions of law No.11 of 2012 was amended whereby section 4(a) extended the tenure of LG Councils from two to three years. “While section 4(b) deleted section 14 (3) of the main law with the provision that where elections cannot be held after the expiration of the tenure, a transition management committee shall be established to oversee the affairs of the councils for six months and another extension of three months.”