From Olu Samuel, Lokoja
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kogi State Chapter, has dismissed an alleged plan to dissolve the elected Chairmen of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) of the state .
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Chairman ALGON, Kogi State, Tosin Oluokun.
”The chapter noted with concern the media reports surrounding a suit purportedly filed by two individuals seeking to restrain the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, from allegedly dissolving the elected .
The leadership of ALGON wishes to categorically state that the foundation upon which the litigation is predicated is false, misleading and entirely speculative.
“At no time has the Governor of Kogi State announced or contemplated the illegal dissolution of democratically elected Local Government Chairmen in the state.
For the avoidance of doubt, the tenure of the current Local Government Chairmen is clearly defined by the extant laws of Kogi State.
”The law under which the Chairmen were elected expressly provides for a two-year tenure, and the incumbent Chairmen are fully aware that their constitutional and statutory tenure expires in October 2026. The expiration of a legally prescribed tenure cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be misconstrued as dissolution.
”it is therefore misleading and legally untenable for anyone to suggest that the Governor intends to dissolve elected Local Government administrations outside the provisions of the law. Such claims are nothing more than conjectures designed to misinform the public and create unnecessary political tension.
”ALGON further states unequivocally that there are no plans whatsoever by the Kogi State Government to appoint caretaker or interim committees to administer the affairs of any Local Government Area. Rather, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) has already slated the conduct of Local Government elections for October 2026, before the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent Chairmen.
”Consequently, upon the expiration of the current tenure in October 2026, duly elected or re-elected Chairmen will be sworn into office in accordance with the provisions of the law, ensuring a seamless, constitutional and democratic transition without any vacuum in Local Government administration.
”The leadership of ALGON, together with its twenty-one member councils, wishes to state emphatically that neither the Association nor any of its members has any knowledge of, involvement in, or affiliation with the purported litigation. We completely dissociate ourselves from what appears to be an ill-motivated and unnecessary attempt by certain individuals to cast aspersions on the democratic credentials of Kogi State and bring the government into disrepute,” Oluokun noted.
He said that ALGON has continued to work closely with the State Government, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the forthcoming local government elections are free, fair, credible and hitch-free, culminating in a smooth transition to a new tenure of elected local government administrations.
”We, therefore, urge the good people of Kogi State to disregard the unfounded claims contained in the suit and the misconceptions arising therefrom. There is no constitutional crisis, no proposed illegal dissolution of elected councils and no plan to undermine democratic governance at the Local Government level,” he added.