Buhari urged to order elections in all LGAs

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to use the verdict of a Lagos State High Court which bars caretaker committees from administering affairs of local government councils as a model to entrench democracy across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.

This is against the backdrop of the alleged refusal of some states to conduct local government elections and instead, constituting caretaker committees to be managing the councils.

There have been outcries by civil society organizations, activists and the local government workers under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) over the administration of local government areas by caretaker committees.

In Lagos, the National Conscience Party (NCP) had filed a suit before the State High Court challenging the legality of appointing caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments. The Court, sitting in Igbosere, on Friday, ordered an election in all the local government areas in the state within 30 days.

A Lagos-based Human rights lawyer, Mr. EbunOlu Adegboruwa, who was the counsel to the NCP in a chat with Daily Trust yesterday, appealed to President Buhari to see the verdict as an opportunity to install democracy at the grassroots.

He also urged Nigerians to begin to insist on exercising their franchise at the local government levels and accused the Lagos State government of being bent on frustrating verdicts of the court through appeals.