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Stakeholders’ Set For January 16 Council Poll

By Gbenga Akinfenwa
10 January 2016   |   2:30 am
ALL things being equal, the Niger State electorate would be going to the poll on Saturday, January 16, 2016, to elect political office holders that will control the affairs of the 25 Local Government Areas of the state. This will lay to rest the anxiety and uncertainty that had shrouded the conduct of the poll,…

INEC

ALL things being equal, the Niger State electorate would be going to the poll on Saturday, January 16, 2016, to elect political office holders that will control the affairs of the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.

This will lay to rest the anxiety and uncertainty that had shrouded the conduct of the poll, since the new governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello assumed office last May.

As at the weekend, the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) and participating political parties in the state have shown their eagerness to participate in the poll, in order to extend dividends of democracy to the grassroots.

Before this period, the electoral body, NSIEC had fixed November 7, 2015 for the election, which it later shifted to January 16. Though it attributed the change of date to the inability of the state government to release funds for the prosecution of the election and the use of card readers as exhibits at the various tribunals sitting in the state, opposition parties seriously kicked against the move.

Despite the excuse and assurance, the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dragged the state government to court over the postponement. Also the Social Democratic Party (SDP), expressed disappointment over the postponement. But the state Inter-Party Advisory Council, (IPAC) threw its weight behind the shift.

The plaintiff (PDP) prayed the court to determine if by virtue of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, local government in the state could be administered by any system of government other than democratically elected local government councils.

Now that the coast is clear, parties have commenced campaign and serious electioneering process.

The APC flagged-off their campaigns last Monday, during which it received decampees from PDP, while others have also followed suit.

Speaking at the flag-off campaign, the state governor solicited the support of the people, urging them to massively vote APC during the election, the same way they voted for the party during the general elections. According to him, having APC in the 25 local governments will ease administration at both state and local government levels.

The last council election in the state was conducted on October 8, 2011. After the expiration of the tenure of elected chairmen in March 2015, the former governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu decided to constitute caretaker committee, citing the 2015 general elections as his reason for not conducting election into the councils.

Immediately the new governor, Bello, assumed office, he announced the immediate dissolution of the caretaker committees and instructed them to hand over the affairs of the councils to Directors of Personnel Management (DPM) in their respective councils.

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