Plateau House amends LG laws amid controversy

Isaac Shobayo, Jos - 26.03.2008

The agitation by the Conference of Nigeria Political Party (CNPP), Plateau State chapter, to have local government elections conducted within the next one month has been made ineffective by the amendment of the local government transition committee law by the state House of Assembly.

After deliberation on the bill forwarded by Governor Jonah Jang for the amendment of the law, the House unanimously approved a six-month tenure for another set of caretaker committees to run affairs of the 17 local government areas.

Giving reasons for the amendment, Majority Leader of the House, Honourable Joseph Bukar, said the amendment became necessary in view of the alleged shoddy way the state electoral commission conducted the last election, adding that the six months would enable the new members of PLASIEC to be constituted, and plan adequately for fresh local government election.

In its earlier deliberations, the House adopted all the recommendations of the committee that investigated the activities of the state electoral commission which led to the cancellation of the council polls and approved the dissolution of the commission and the setting up of another committee to probe the financial dealings of the commission.

The planned protest by the opposition parties against the bill sent by the state government was thwarted by the police in the state which mobilised its men to the state secretariat of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) chosen to be take off point of the protest while armoured tank and anti-riot policemen were equally drafted to the state assembly.