A Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos on Friday nullified a two year tenure for currently being enjoyed by elected Local Government chairmen in the state.
In a Judgement delivered by the state Chief Judge Justice David Mann, the court ruled
that the two-year tenure provided by Plateau State and that of the state Independent Electoral Commission laws were inconsistent with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
The judge therefore declared that Local Government Chairmen in the State will now serve a four-year tenure, declaring
The judgment also affirmed that the shorter tenure contradicts constitutional provisions guaranteeing a democratically elected local government system.
The court equally held that the two-year tenure contained in the laws of the Plateau State Government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) contradicts Section 7(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees a democratically elected local government system.
The court further stated that the shorter tenure undermines the constitutional framework for local government administration and therefore cannot stand in the face of the constitutional provision.
“I therefore grant a four-year tenure to elected local government chairmen in the state, aligning their tenure with the broader constitutional expectations for democratic governance at the grassroots level,” the judge ruled
The ruling of the court comes barely two days after The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission approved adjustments to the timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of the 2026 Local Government Elections in the state, extending the period for political parties to conduct their primaries.
The adjustment to the election time table as disclosed by the Commission’s Secretary, Pam Davou, indicated that political campaigns will end at midnight on Monday, September 7, 2026, ahead of the elections scheduled to hold in the seventeen (17) Local Government Areas of Plateau State slated to take place on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 between 8am and 3pm.
