The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill proposing a first degree as the minimum qualification for the position of local government chairman, among other provisions.
The bill, one of 42 passed for second reading during Wednesday’s plenary, was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, along with eight other lawmakers.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the bill seeks to amend the Constitution to comprehensively review the legal and administrative framework governing local government councils.
The primary objective of the bill is to establish a robust legal framework that will enhance the administrative capacity of local governments, promote efficient service delivery, transparency, and accountability, and further strengthen the democratic culture at the grassroots level.
A copy of the draft obtained by our correspondent revealed that Section 7 of the Principal Act is amended with a new Section 7, which states: “There shall be for each local government a democratically elected chairman and a vice-chairman, who shall be qualified for election if he is an indigene of the local government; has attained the age of 25 years; and has been educated up to at least the first-degree certificate or its equivalent.”
It further adds, “A person elected to the office of Chairman shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in this Constitution and has subsequently taken and subscribed, before the Chief Judge of the State or his nominee, the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Office as prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.”
The bill also provides in Section 7(1b) that “An election to the office of chairman shall be held on a date to be appointed by the responsible electoral body, which shall be held on a date not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of that office.”
Additionally, it outlines that “A candidate for election to the office of chairman shall be deemed to have been duly elected if the candidate is the only person whose name was submitted to the electoral body for election; and if there is more than one candidate, the candidate with the majority valid votes cast at the election.”
The tenure for the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and the Council is four years, with eligibility for one additional four-year term, as provided in Section 7C of the bill.
Section 7D of the bill details the procedure for the removal of a Chairman or Vice-Chairman from office.
It states that if a notice of any allegation in writing, signed by not less than one-third of the members of the Local Government Legislative Council, is presented to the Speaker, stating that the officeholder is guilty of gross misconduct, an investigation will be initiated.
