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Nigeria Senate on Friday advised the Federal Government to withhold statutory allotments of local council areas not democratically elected.
This followed the resolution adopted of prayer sought to that effect in a motion sponsored by Senator Abba Moro PDP Benue South.
Senator Abba Moro in the motion titled: ” Urgent need to halt the erosion of democracy: the dissolution of elected councils in Benue State” expressed dismay over the dissolution of democratically elected councils in Benue State and replacing them with caretaker committees
He said the placing of caretaker committees to replace elected councils was an aberration and alien to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended.
He buttressed his argument with Section One of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which prescribes democratically elected councils as a system of local government in Nigeria
According to him, it was the constitutional responsibility of every state to ensure the existence of local government councils by law.
He added that “there are subsisting court rulings directing the governor, the House of Assembly, their agents, privies, among others not to tamper with the tenure of the elected councils.”
He noted that since the governor and government of Benue State have not appealed the judgments, dissolution of the 23 local government councils in the state, was against the rule of law.
Senator Victor Umeh LP Anambra Central, who seconded the motion said Section seven of the 1999 Constitution as amended guarantees that there shall be democratically elected officials of the local government areas.
He insisted on the emasculation of elected local government officials and replacing them with a caretaker committee with the intent of taking over their funds from the Federation A