LThe Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area in Niger State, Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, has taken legal action against the Niger State Government over what he describes as the unlawful reduction of the tenure of elected local government officials.
Yakubu-Ladan filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the constitutionality of the Niger State Local Government Law, 2001 (as amended), which reduces the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors from four years to three. The originating summons, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025 and dated July 10 but filed on July 11, was submitted by his counsel, Chris Udeoyibo.
In the suit, the chairman is asking the court to determine whether the state government can lawfully enforce a local law that, according to him, contradicts the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.
He contends that both federal laws guarantee a four-year tenure for elected local government officials and that any attempt to truncate this term is illegal and unconstitutional.
The suit names five defendants: the Attorney-General of Niger State, the Niger State House of Assembly, the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Inspector-General of Police.
Yakubu-Ladan is seeking a declaration that the current local government law in Niger State is null and void to the extent that it reduces the constitutionally protected tenure of local government chairmen and councillors.
He is also asking the court to restrain NSIEC from going ahead with the local government elections scheduled for November 1 until the expiration of the current tenure of elected officials.
In addition, the chairman is seeking to stop INEC and the Inspector-General of Police from providing logistical support and security for the election, arguing that their involvement would amount to aiding an unconstitutional process.
Yakubu-Ladan maintains that Section 29(2) of the Niger State Local Government Law is inconsistent with Section 7 of the Constitution and Sections 018 and 150 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
He further raised eight legal questions in the summons and insisted that the attempt to conduct local elections before the end of the current term violates both constitutional and statutory provisions.
As of the time of filing this report, the case has not yet been assigned to a judge. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for local government autonomy and the limits of state legislative powers in Nigeria.
