The Nigerian Senate has strongly denounced the recent local government elections held across various states, describing them as a sham and a blatant assault on democracy.
This condemnation was sparked by a motion introduced by Senator Abba Moro, Minority Leader of the Senate, who characterized the elections in Benue State as a travesty.
Senator Emmanuel Udende from Benue North East, despite being an APC member, seconded the motion, emphasizing that party allegiance should not justify supporting wrongdoing. “This is not a party matter; there was no election in Benue state,” he stated. Fellow APC Senator Titus Zam from Benue North West concurred, labeling the elections a “charade and heinous political crime.”
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, described the local government elections as a national calamity, highlighting the discrepancy between the democratic ideal and the harsh reality. “It is known to everyone that the best bedrock of every democracy is the right of people to elect their leaders in a free and fair election… But the sad commentary is that we don’t get anything like free and fair elections in our local governments,” he lamented.
Senator Jibrin advocated for constitutional amendments to empower independent bodies or INEC to conduct local government elections, ensuring the sanctity of the electoral process. President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need for repositioning local government as a third tier of government through constitutional reform.
Akpabio commended the Supreme Court’s ruling on direct funding for local governments and urged the National Assembly to address the credibility issues plaguing local government elections. With Nigerians increasingly frustrated, the Senate has pledged to take decisive action to safeguard democracy at the local level.
