The Kaduna State House of Assembly has dismissed allegations that it plans to amend the Local Government Electoral Law just days before the upcoming local government elections. The elections are scheduled for October 19, 2024, and concerns had been raised about potential changes to the law that could affect the process.
On Wednesday, Henry Marah, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, addressed the media to clarify the situation. He firmly stated that there was no plan to alter the electoral law and emphasized that the Assembly had not discussed or considered any such amendments.
“We have stuck to our order paper, and as you can all see, there is no mention of electoral law amendments,” Marah said. He further explained that since the Supreme Court ruling in July 2024, which granted financial autonomy to local governments, the Assembly had not engaged in any discussions about changing the existing electoral law.
The allegations were initially raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the forthcoming elections. The PDP, through its State Chairman, Edward Masha, claimed that the Assembly was working behind the scenes to amend the Kaduna State Local Government Law, 2024. According to Masha, these amendments could undermine the integrity of the election process, especially regarding the declaration of results and the appointment of collation officers.
Masha described the alleged amendments as a “blatant contradiction” to the law that had already been amended and officially documented in July 2024. He warned that the PDP would not accept any actions that might compromise the transparency of the election. “We will not tolerate any attempt to manipulate the electoral process,” Masha declared, accusing the Assembly of plotting to influence the outcome.
Despite these concerns, the Kaduna State Assembly has maintained that no such actions are being taken, insisting that the electoral process will proceed as scheduled under the current law.
