The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to withhold federal allocations to states that have not held credible local government elections.
According to reports, states like Rivers, Benue, Akwa Ibom, and Jigawa conducted their local government elections on October 5, while many other states have yet to organize theirs.
SERAP criticized this delay, calling it unacceptable. In a statement on Sunday by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group asked Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, to suspend the release of federal funds to states that have not conducted proper local elections.
The organization also asked the President to ensure that any allocations from the Federation Account are paid only to democratically elected local government councils and no other body or institution
The statement read in part, “Your government has the obligation to enforce the Nigerian Constitution and to prevent public wrong, including by state governors.
“A democratically elected local government council does not and should not exist at the pleasure, whims and caprice of governors or their political godfathers.
“Your government also has the constitutional obligation to ensure accountability for the spending of federal allocations and immediate compliance with the judgment by the Supreme Court and the rule of law.”
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