LG autonomy: 13 states rush to hold council polls

•Bauchi fixes LG poll for August 19, Kogi election holds October 19

•Jigawa, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Katsina, Kebbi, Benue set for exercise

No fewer than 13 states have fixed dates for Local Government elections in the aftermath of last Thursday’s Supreme Court judgement which prohibited federal allocation to council being administered by caretaker committees.

The states that have commenced council poll preparations include Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi, Katsina, Osun, Enugu, Benue, Rivers, Jigawa, Imo, Kebbi, Abia, and Anambra states.

On Tuesday, the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission scheduled the council poll for October 19, 2024.

The Supreme Court had declared it unconstitutional for state governors to hold funds allocated for the local government councils.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the seven-man panel held that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.