The Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area in Niger State, Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, has filed a suit against the state government over the alleged reduction of the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors.
In the case filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Yakubu-Ladan is challenging the legality of the Niger State Local Government Law, 2001 (as amended), which shortens the tenure of elected local government officials from four years to three.
The chairman is asking the court to stop the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) and other defendants from conducting local government elections scheduled for November 1, 2025, until the current tenure expires.
Listed as defendants in the suit are the Attorney-General of Niger State, the Niger State House of Assembly, NSIEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Inspector-General of Police.
Yakubu-Ladan, through his lawyer Chris Udeoyibo, argues that the law conflicts with Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, which he says guarantee a four-year term for elected local government officials.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025, is seeking a declaration that the Niger State Local Government Law is unconstitutional. He also wants an order stopping INEC and the police from providing support or security for the upcoming elections.
The case has not yet been assigned to a judge.
The legal action raises fresh concerns over the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria, with many elected officials across states often facing disputes over tenure, funding, and political interference.