The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Kebbi State has given a 35-day ultimatum to the State Independent Electoral Commission (KBSIEC) to conduct election into the 21 local government councils of the state.
The ultimatum which began yesterday, elapses on June 5, 2024.
IPAC chairman, Ibrahim Muhammed, gave the ultimatum when he led members of the advisory council on an advocacy visit to the commission’s head office in Birnin Kebbi metropolis.
A day earlier, IPAC had rejected the recent appointment of sole administrators in the 21 local government areas by the state government.
IPAC declared its opposition to the move during its advocacy visit to the state House of Assembly.
Responding to IPAC however, the Kebbi State speaker, Muhammadu Usman Zuru, said that the state government acted within the ambit of the law.
He said the law permits state governors to appoint sole administrators in the event where the state electoral body is not prepared for elections.
But Muhammed, while addressing the electoral body yesterday, reiterated its objection to the appointment of sole administrators in the councils, insisting that the government should conduct elections to fill the vacant council seats following the expiration of their two-year tenures.
He said the appointment by the state government is injurious to democracy and a flagrant denial of the right of opposition parties to participate in the process of who governs at the council level.
Stressing that opposition political parties are essential to democracy, he chided the government’s refusal to fund the commission to conduct local councils polls as required by the law.
The IPAC chairman also faulted the law which allows the state governors to appoint local governments sole administrators, adding that it is anti-people and morally improper.
Chairman of KBSIEC, Aliyu Mohammed Mera, represented by a commissioner, Ahmed Amadu Nasani, assured that the commission will do everything possible to comply with the ultimatum.