LG autonomy: Benue reschedules polls for October 5

By Christiana Ekpa

The Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) has rescheduled the Local Government elections to October 5, 2024.
The election was initially slated for November 16, 2024, after an earlier date of July 6, 2024.
The new date was announced on Wednesday by the Chairman of the Commission, Dr. John Chen, during a meeting with members of the Benue State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and Civil Society, led by its Chairman, Mr. Abu Umoru, at the Commission’s Headquarters in Makurdi.
Chen, represented by the Commission’s Secretary, Dr. Vincent Gisaor, explained that the change was necessitated by a recent Supreme Court ruling.
He stated, “The Commission is already partnering with relevant stakeholders to ensure the conduct of free, fair, and credible Local Government elections in the state.”
Chen also pointed out some challenges faced by the Commission, including a lack of funds and operational vehicles.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr. Umoru, urged the Commission to organize the Local Government elections promptly, in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared Caretaker Committees at that tier of government illegitimate.
Umoru stated the importance of meeting the deadline set by the apex court for elected Councils to be in place, warning that failure to do so would adversely affect Local Government administration in the state.
The Chairman also called for the unfreezing of the Commission’s accounts to enable the management to access funds necessary for immediate arrangements for the poll.“The only aspect of it is to legalise it so that people don’t have the impression that we are sitting at 11am while the rule says 10am”.