The Rivers State House of Assembly has vetoed Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s assent to pass the Local Government Amendment Bill into law.
The Local Government Amendment Bill No. 4 of 2024 is an additional
modification to the Local Government Amendment law No. 5 of 2018.
It is the 6th law passed by the 10th Assembly after invoking its veto
power as provided in Section 100 subsection 5 of the 1999 constitution.
But it seems to be the most controversial as it relates to the conduct
of Local Government Elections.
The lawmakers say they empowered to veto the Governor because the 30-day period required by law to wait for his assent or rejection to the bill has elapsed.
One of the key provisions is to stop a Governor from appointing
caretaker committees to run the affairs of Local Government Councils.
The law makes it mandatory for the State Independent Electoral
Commission to conduct the Local Government Election before the
expiration of the incumbent council leadership.
But if the polls cannot hold for any reason, the law allows the tenure
of elected council chairmen to be extended by 6 months at a time through a resolution of the House of Assembly.
Some persons consider this as a move to weaken the Governor’s political influence at the grassroots but the Lawmakers insist it is an
intervention to strengthen the third tier of government.
The House also screened and confirmed 5 nominees as members and chairman of the House of Assembly Service Commission.
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