A pan-African students’ movement, under the aegis of the Progressive Students’ Movement, PSM, on Monday urged the National Assembly to enact a law that would stop governors from conducting local government elections.
President of PSM, Bestman Okereafor, said in a statement in Enugu that it was imperative to make the financial autonomy granted to the local governments to have the desired impact.
Recall that the Supreme Court had, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, ordered the Federal Government to begin direct payment of monthly allocations into local councils’ accounts.
Okereafor described the apex court verdict as a landmark judgment and one which would have direct impacts on the lives of the common man at the grassroots.
“This judgment will help strengthen our democracy, uphold our constitutional rights and the ideals of local governments regarding financial autonomy.
“It will check the retrogression suffered by council areas in terms of governors solely and frequently appointing or handpicking caretaker chairmen and councillors in connivance with their respective state electoral commissions.
“We commend Hon Justice Emmanuel Agim for standing on the path of freedom, equity and social justice. May God bless him for standing with the people.
“As intellectuals, PSM is calling on the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, stop state governments from conducting local government elections for the purpose of transparency, fairness and accountability,” he said.
The PSM president called for the conduct of local government elections by INEC through its zonal/state offices henceforth.
“We are of the view that leaving the conduct of local government elections in the hands of state governors, who are not pleased with the Supreme Court judgment, simply means they are still controlling the local government chairmen.
“The governors will want to remain the chief determinants of who gets what and how the finance is being spent in the council areas,” he said.
Okereafor commended the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, for having the courage to pursue the case to a logical conclusion in the interest of the Nigerian masses.
“PSM also commends President Bola Tinubu for allowing due process and rule of law by not interfering in the judicial process and equally affirming that the decision of the apex court is of historic significance.
“We strongly believe that the Supreme Court judgment will, in no little way, help improve the economy of our people at the grassroots.
“We are calling on our youths to massively contest at the local government level in their respective states for the renewal of the lost hope,” he stated.
