Politics
SERAP Urges Tinubu To Withhold States Allocations For Failing To Conduct Credible Elections
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu “to direct Mr Olawale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, to immediately withhold federal allocations to states that have failed and/refused to conduct credible local government elections, and to ensure that any allocations from the Federation Account is paid only to democratically elected local government councils and no other body or institution.”
The SERAP also urged him “to provide details of the number of local government councils that have directly received federal allocations and whether the councils are democratically elected, as provided for by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgment of 11 July 2024.”
The SERAP urged him “to promptly invite the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to jointly track and monitor the spending of FAAC allocations by democratically elected local government councils across the country.
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In the letter dated 5 October 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Your government has the obligation to enforce the Nigerian Constitution and to prevent public wrong, including by state governors.”
The SERAP said, “A democratically elected local government council does not and should not exist at the pleasure, whims and caprice of governors or their ‘political godfathers’.”
According to the SERAP, “Your government also has the constitutional obligation to ensure accountability for the spending of federal allocations and immediate compliance with the judgment by the Supreme Court and the rule of law.”
The letter, read in part: “Local government councils are entitled to a direct payment from the Federation Account to promote good governance, people’s welfare and development of local government areas across the country.”
“Where the rule of law reigns, political expediency ought to be sacrificed on the altar of the rule of law so as to guarantee the continued existence of institutions created to promote social values of liberty, orderly conduct and development.”
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“It will be entirely consistent with the rule of law to immediately withhold federal allocations to states that have failed and/refused to conduct local government elections and to ensure that any allocations from the Federation Account are paid only to democratically elected councils and no other body or institution.”
“According to our information, the Supreme Court of Nigeria recently ordered the Federal Government to forthwith directly pay funds in the Federation Account only to democratically elected local government councils and no other body or institution.”
“The court also ordered the 36 state governors to ‘ensure democratic governance at the local government level.’”
“The court ruled that state governors have no power to dissolve democratically elected local government councils within their states and replace the councils with caretaker committees. The court also made ‘an order of immediate compliance by states with the terms of this judgment.’”
“According to our information, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu recently stated that ‘the conduct of Local Government elections in virtually all the States of the Federation has become mere coronation of candidates of the ruling parties. It is time to stop the coronation and conduct proper elections.’”
“SERAP is concerned that local government elections in several states are susceptible to manipulation by governors and other actors.”
“SERAP is concerned that several state governors are failing to organize local government council elections, contrary to section 7(1) of the Nigerian Constitution.”
“SERAP is also concerned about the allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the spending by governors of federal allocations meant for the local government councils in their states. Trillions of FAAC allocations received by Nigeria’s 36 states have allegedly gone down the drain.”
“The resulting human costs directly threaten the human rights of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.”
“Despite the increased allocation from FAAC, millions of residents in several states continue to face extreme poverty and lack access to basic public goods and services.”
“The reported removal of petrol subsidy and the flotation of the naira by the Federal Government has translated into increased FAAC allocations to states and the FCT. However, there is no corresponding improvement in the security and welfare of millions of Nigerians.”
“SERAP notes that Section 162(3)(5) of the Nigerian Constitution provides that the amount standing to the credit of local government councils in the Federation Account shall be distributed to them and be paid directly to them.”
“State governors have no power to keep, control, manage or disburse in any manner allocations from the Federation Account to local government councils.”
“By the terms of the Supreme Court judgment, the 36 state governors are restrained from further collecting, receiving, spending or tampering with local government council funds from the Federation Account for the benefit of local government councils.”
“SERAP notes that section 165 of the Nigerian Constitution and the Allocation of Revenue Act No.1 1982, stipulate that the revenues generated by the government should be credited into the federation account and disbursed monthly among the federal government, states and local governments.”
“SERAP notes that former president Muhammadu Buhari had in December 2022 stated that, ‘If the money from the Federation Account to the State is about N100m, N50m will be sent to the chairman but he will sign that he received N100 million. The chairman will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with.’”
“According to Buhari, ‘If the money from the Federation Account to the State is about N100 million, N50 million will be sent to the chairman but he will sign that he received N100 million. The chairman will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with.’”
“The 36 states in Nigeria and the federal capital territory, Abuja, have reportedly collected over N40 trillion federal allocations meant for the 774 local governments areas in the country and FCT.”
“The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed to states N225.21 billion federal allocations meant for local governments in November 2023 alone. States also collected N258,810,449,711.47 federal allocations meant for local government areas in December 2023.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, securing another four-year term in office.
The Returning Officer for the election, Professor Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday after the completion of collation from the state’s 16 local government areas.
According to the results, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challengers.
READ ALSO: Ekiti Poll Shock: ADC Candidate Loses Home Ward to Oyebanji
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, secured 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 12,872 votes.
Oladiji disclosed that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. She added that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration ended a closely watched governorship contest that saw voters across Ekiti State head to the polls on Saturday amid a generally peaceful atmosphere.
Despite the successful conduct of the election, reports of technical challenges and allegations of irregularities emerged from some polling units.
INEC said all 2,445 polling units designated for the election opened for voting.
According to the commission, 2,257 polling units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened before 8:30 a.m., while 188 polling units experienced minor delays but commenced voting before 10:30 a.m.
The electoral body also began uploading polling unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after voting and counting were completed in several locations.
During the election, PDP candidate Oluwole Oluyede raised concerns over developments at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 006, he alleged that many voters were unable to vote because of challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Oluyede also alleged voter harassment and intimidation in the area.
Earlier, some elderly voters at the same polling unit expressed frustration after they were unable to complete accreditation due to BVAS issues and called on INEC to urgently address the problem.
ADC candidate Dare Bejide also alleged irregularities during the election.
However, Governor Oyebanji dismissed the allegations and insisted that those making such claims must provide evidence.
The governor, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, described the conduct of the election as satisfactory and encouraged eligible voters to participate peacefully in the democratic process.
Similarly, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, CP Abayomi Shogunle, stated that no case of vote-buying was reported to security agencies during the poll.
Voting ended before 3 p.m. in many polling units, after which sorting and counting of ballots commenced. However, some locations experienced minor disruptions.
At Polling Unit 008 in Ugele/Arokun Ward, Ikere Local Government Area, sorting and counting reportedly became rowdy as party agents and supporters disagreed over the validity of some ballot papers.
At Polling Unit 006, where the PDP candidate voted, voting was still ongoing as of 4 p.m. due to delays caused by accreditation challenges.
Security personnel later intervened to restore order when the situation became tense.
Election observers generally commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise while raising concerns about some procedural issues.
First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sebastian Anyia, described the process as peaceful and orderly, expressing optimism that the smooth conduct witnessed during accreditation would continue throughout the election.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, praised the determination shown by female voters.
“The women are so resilient; in front of me at the other polling unit, they are laying their blankets on the floor and placing their toddlers, which means they are here to stay; they mean business, and they really want to cast their vote,” she said.
Meanwhile, election monitoring group Yiaga Africa raised concerns over what it described as discrepancies between ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates.
In a statement signed by Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, and Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, the organisation said:
“Yiaga Africa is observing the Ekiti State governorship election, and our preliminary findings raise serious concerns about the consistency of the materials INEC has deployed.”
The group warned that the inconsistencies could create confusion during voting and collation processes.
Reacting to the concerns, INEC explained that 19 political parties were included on the ballot paper to avoid the cost of printing fresh ballot papers following court orders and other administrative changes.
Ahead of the election, INEC repeatedly assured residents of its readiness to conduct a credible and transparent poll, while security agencies stated that extensive preparations had been made to ensure a peaceful exercise.
The Nigeria Police Force led a multi-agency security operation across the state, deploying personnel to polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations.
Authorities also imposed restrictions on vehicular movement during voting hours and warned political actors against violence, vote-buying and other electoral offences.
With the declaration of the final result, Oyebanji has secured a second term as governor of Ekiti State after recording a decisive victory over his opponents in the governorship election.
Election Results
Biodun Oyebanji (APC) – 319,224 votes
Oluwole Oluyede (PDP) – 40,543 votes
Dare Bejide (ADC) – 12,872 votes
Election Statistics
Accredited Voters: 384,940
Valid Votes: 375,777
Rejected Votes: 6,332
Total Votes Cast: 382,109
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded an early lead in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election after defeating the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, in his polling unit and ward.
The result was declared at Polling Unit 004, Ward 2, Ekiti South-West Local Government Area, where Bejide hails from.
The ward is also shared with IT expert and politician Makinde Araoye.
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According to the results announced, Oyebanji polled 140 votes, while Bejide secured 37 votes.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded 2 votes.
Result breakdown for PU 004, Ward 2:
APC: 140 votes
ADC: 37 votes
PDP: 2 votes
The outcome handed the APC an early advantage as collation of results continues across the state under the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The result is seen as significant because Bejide lost in his own polling unit, an area expected to favour him as a native of the ward.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has addressed concerns over technical challenges experienced during the Ondo South Senatorial District by-election, assuring voters that the election process remains peaceful, transparent, and credible.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday in Okitipupa while monitoring the exercise, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Mr. Mutiu Agboke, acknowledged reports of network-related issues affecting voter accreditation in some polling units but said the commission’s technical team was already working to resolve the problem.
SEE ALSO: Gunmen Strike Ondo Farm, Kill Two as Police Rescue Kidnap Victims
“It is something from the centre and our technical team is looking at it. We are using machines and anything can happen. What is important is our ability to respond professionally and resolve any challenge that arises,” Agboke stated.
Despite the challenges, the REC expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the by-election, noting that most polling units opened on time, with electoral officials arriving early to commence voting.
“We saw enthusiasm among voters to participate in the election. Our officials were at the polling units early and, largely, most of the polling units opened on time,” he said.
Agboke further revealed that security personnel had been strategically deployed across the six local government areas involved in the election, adding that no incidents of violence or casualties had been recorded.
On voter turnout, he said it was still too early to provide an accurate assessment, explaining that INEC would rely on data generated from its monitoring dashboard before making any official declaration.
Also speaking, INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, clarified the process of transmitting and collating election results, particularly regarding the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“After counting at each polling unit and entering the scores in the appropriate forms, the result sheets will be uploaded to IReV using the BVAS machine. The physical copies will then move from the polling unit to the Registration Area collation centre, the local government collation centre and finally the senatorial collation centre,” Ajayi explained.
He also dismissed the misconception that IReV automatically calculates election results.
“Some people think that IReV automatically provides total scores. No, it does not. It only displays the uploaded result sheets. The final result will be determined at the senatorial collation centre where all scores are collated,” he said.
The Ondo South Senatorial District by-election is being conducted to fill the vacant seat left by former senator Jimoh Ibrahim following his appointment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
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