Katsina Gov Pledges Smooth Transition after Supreme Court’s Judgment on LG Autonomy

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has said that he will conduct local government elections at the expiration of the tenure of the new local government chairmen.
He further revealed that party primaries had been conducted in line with electoral best practices, adding that some chairmen who are currently serving would return through a democratic process.

Recall that the Supreme Court recently granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government, a development that has forced many states to plan to conduct local government elections in their various states.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Mohammed, said the governor stated this during a meeting held to discuss the implications of the recent Supreme Court’s judgment on local government autonomy.

He said: “I did not call you all today to interpret the judgment. Katsina State is a law-abiding state and will operate under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have asked the state attorney general to give me a full report on the legal implications of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“As you know, I was once the Chairman of Charanchi Local Government during the administration of our beloved President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. I was involved in the day-to-day administration of my local government, and I am fully aware of the challenges and pains most of you are facing,” the governor said.
While highlighting his administration’s forward-thinking approach to local government administration, Radda noted that the state planned to conduct elections for new local government chairmen at the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent chairmen.

He added: “We have already carried out party primaries in line with electoral best practices, and some current chairmen will return through a democratic process.
“In this dispensation, we are most likely the only state to transition from one democratically elected local government council to another.”
The governor acknowledged that the state was facing various socio-economic challenges, coupled with insecurity in various local governments.

According to him, “When I took office in 2023, over 20 local governments were ravaged by insecurity. Our concerted efforts have reduced insecurity to the fringes of the frontline local governments.”