Local government (LG) elections are scheduled for September 21st and September 28th, respectively, by the independent electoral commissions in the states of Kwara and Anambra. 

In order to install democratically elected chairman for the 16 LG councils in the North Central state, the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission announced that it has put the necessary procedures in place for the local government election scheduled for next month. 

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) voiced concerns over the scheduled exercise, despite the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) declaring it prepared for it.

The 16 local government districts in Kwara State have been administered by one administrator for almost five years, but the newly appointed members of the state independent electoral commission stated they are prepared to hold elections in the councils.

In a related development, the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission announced in a statement that local government elections would take place in each of the state’s 21 LG councils.

The election arbiter notified “all registered political parties and the general public that local government elections in the state will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2024”.

“Election timetable schedule of activities and other details can be collected from the headquarters of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, Awka, from Wednesday, 14th August, 2024.”

Since the Supreme Court granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government and ordered the Federal Government to pay the 20.60% monthly allocation of the 774 LGs in the nation directly to their exclusive accounts and not to accounts controlled by governors, about 15 states have announced or held local government elections in the last month. 

In a historic ruling in July, the supreme court forbade governors who were intoxicated with power from dissolving locally elected local government councils.