SERAP to Tinubu: Withhold Allocations from States Without Credible LG Elections

SERAP has asked President Tinubu to withhold federal allocations from states that failed to conduct transparent local government elections, stressing the importance of electoral credibility.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend funding for states that have not held credible local government elections.

Remember that on October 5, local-level elections took place in several states, such as Rivers, Benue, Akwa Ibom, and Jigawa.

However, most states have not yet conducted local government elections but continue to receive allocations for their respective local councils.

SERAP, expressing dissatisfaction with the development, labeled the actions of certain state governors as inappropriate.

In a statement released on Sunday by Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SEEAP urged Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, to promptly halt federal allocations to any states that have either failed or refused to carry out credible local government elections.

The organization also urged the President to guarantee that allocations from the Federation Account are disbursed exclusively to democratically elected local government councils and not to any other body or institution.

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SERAP called on the President to release information about how many local government councils have directly received federal allocations and whether these councils are democratically elected, as required by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and mandated by the Supreme Court in its judgment from July 11, 2024.

Your government is obligated to uphold the Nigerian Constitution and prevent public misconduct, including actions by state governors.

A democratically elected local government council should neither exist at the discretion nor be subject to the whims and preferences of governors or their political influencers.

SERAP stated that it is the constitutional duty of your government to ensure accountability for federal spending and immediate adherence to both the Supreme Court’s judgment and the rule of law.