A legal battle is brewing in Anambra over the two-year tenure approved for elected local government officials in the state.
The suit challenges the validity of the Anambra State Electoral (Amendment No. 3) Law, 2024, which fixed the tenure of council chairmen, deputy chairmen, and councillors at two years.
The plaintiffs sued the state Attorney General, the Anambra State House of Assembly, and the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC.
They are asking the court to declare Section 110(A) of the law unconstitutional, arguing that it conflicts with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for a stable and effective local government system. They contended that the constitution does not permit the arbitrary truncation of the tenure of elected council officials.
The plaintiffs are also seeking an order expunging the provision from Anambra’s laws and declaring that local government officials are entitled to a uniform four-year tenure, in line with elected officials at the federal and state levels.
They further want the court to stop the defendants from dissolving the councils or conducting fresh elections to replace them before the expiration of their four-year mandate.
The suit adds a fresh legal dimension to preparations for the Anambra local government election, which ANSIEC has fixed for August 29.
