Insecurity in Nigeria: Niger Assembly seeks suspension of LG election

Due to the insecurity situation in Niger State, the House of Assembly has ordered the suspension of the already scheduled local government council election.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abdullahi Bawa, who gave the directive to the state government yesterday in Minna, urged it to instruct the Independent National Electoral Commission to suspend the scheduled timetable and comply with Section 20 of the local government law and section 29 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Act.

The legislators observed that with the level of insecurity in the state, it would be near impossible to hold campaigns and elections during this period.

The motion for the suspension of the local government elections was raised under matters of public importance by the member representing Bosso Constituency, Honorable Madaki Bosso.

The member representing Suleja Constituency, Shuiabu Iya, said it would be insensitive on the part of the government if it went ahead with plans to conduct the local government elections considering that several people across the state were affected by one form of insecurity or the other.

“We are in a very challenging period. Apart from the extant laws, as representatives of the people, we know that holding elections this period will send wrong signals to the people that we do not care about their plight,” Iya said.

He questioned the government’s intention for scheduling elections when security of lives and properties should be of utmost importance to the government.

“Let us look at the state of the Niger State environment in terms of security, are we thinking of the security of the lives and properties of the people? Or are we thinking of holding a local government election in this period?” He asked.

He condemned the scheduled plan for election adding that it wasn’t the right time to schedule an election.

He added, “it is not the right atmosphere for us to contemplate holding an election that involves the real grassroot citizens of this state.

“Most of the places where the elections will be held, the citizens are compromised and have many challenges that I am not sure the government can approach them for campaigns or elections.”

The State Independent Electoral Commission had recently published a timetable for the conduct of Local Government Council election in the state where it scheduled parties primary election to hold between 20-27 August, 2022, while the general election was to hold on November 5, 2022.