Abuja: Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, the Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger, has initiated legal proceedings against the state government, challenging the alleged reduction of the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors. Yakubu-Ladan has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to restrain the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) and other co-defendants from conducting the scheduled local government elections until the current tenure is completed.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, NSIEC had announced November 1 as the date for the local government polls across the state. The suit names the Attorney-General of Niger State, the state house of assembly, NSIEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Inspector-General of Police as the 1st to 5th defendants, respectively. Yakubu-Ladan is challenging the constitutionality of the Niger State Local Government Law, 2001, which proposes reducing the tenure of local government officials from four years to three years.
Filed under the originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025, dated July 10 and filed on July 11 by his counsel, Chris Udeoyibo, Yakubu-Ladan seeks eight questions for determination. He questions whether the state government can enforce a local government law that is inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022. He specifically asks whether Section 29 (2) of the Niger State Local Government Law should be declared unconstitutional for conflicting with national legal standards.
The plaintiff is seeking a declaration that the four-year tenure for local government chairmen and councillors is constitutionally guaranteed by the constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022. He also challenges NSIEC’s preparation for the elections scheduled for November 1, seeking to restrain the defendants from proceeding with these elections until the completion of the four-year tenure.
Additionally, the suit seeks to prevent INEC and the Inspector-General of Police from offering logistical support and security for the election. Yakubu-Ladan argues that the 2001 local government law is inconsistent with Section 7 of the constitution and Sections 018 and 150 of the Electoral Act, 2022. As of the time of reporting, the case has not yet been assigned to a judge.