The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, stressed the urgent need to reposition the local government system in Nigeria.

He noted that the issues surrounding local government elections extend beyond party lines, indicating a collective conclusion reached by the Senate.

He said, “The world needs to know that this is not limited to only the PDP states. We must take steps to ensure that local governments function effectively as a third tier of government.”

He commended the Supreme Court for ruling that local government funds should go directly to the local councils, urging the National Assembly to take action to fully implement this decision.

Reflecting on his time as governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015, Mr. Akpabio noted that he successfully conducted credible local government elections twice.

He recounted an incident when stakeholders raised concerns about a local government issue, saying: “When I was a governor, you asked me what happened in my state. I did local government elections twice. And I remember one of the local governments, even when we did not seem to have opposition then.

“I was surprised when they called me to ask me, ‘Sir, we have a tragedy due to one local government out of 31.’ And I was in Abuja. I said, ‘What is that?’ They said stakeholders are shouting that it cannot happen. I told the chairman, ‘Those are the winners’.”

Additionally, the Senate President criticised Governor Godwin Obaseki for failing to swear in certain members of the Edo State House of Assembly, stating, “It’s clear that there is a problem. The governor has operated with just 10 members of the House of Assembly for almost four years, undermining democracy.”

He stressed the importance of upholding democratic principles and the rule of law in governance. The Senate President also said Governor Obaseki did not respect democracy and the rule of law by not swearing in some members of the Edo State House of Assembly.

“Well, to be honest with you, it’s not everybody that would not know that there is a problem. I know that Senator Adams Oshiomhole is itching to talk because, in his state, I think the governor is a PDP. He may not have much respect for democracy and the rule of law.

“But the governor of a state has run the state with 10 members of the House of Assembly, to the shame of democracy, for almost four years. People that were elected were not sworn into office.”

“Now, the world needs to know that it is not limited to only the PDP states, that the share of local government elections goes beyond party lines. I think that’s the conclusion of the Senate. And that we need to do something to reposition the local government as a third tier of government.

“What you are seeing here is that it has never really been a third tier of government. So we commend the Supreme Court of Nigeria for the ruling that the funds of local governments should go directly to local governments.

“But then, we, on our part in the National Assembly, must take the next step to ensure that the decision that has been given by the Supreme Court becomes alive.”