A High Court sitting in Jos has ruled that Local Government Chairmen in Plateau State will henceforth serve a four-year tenure, nullifying the two-year term earlier stipulated in the state’s electoral laws.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, the Chief Judge of Plateau State, David Mann, held that the two-year tenure introduced by the state government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) contradicts Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The court maintained that the shorter tenure undermines the constitutional provisions that guarantee a democratically elected local government system across the country.
According to the ruling, the two-year term weakens the constitutional framework guiding local government administration and cannot stand against the supremacy of the Constitution.
The judgment effectively restores a four-year tenure for elected local government chairmen in Plateau State, aligning their tenure structure with broader constitutional expectations for democratic governance at the grassroots level.
The ruling comes ahead of the local government elections scheduled for September 2026 by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission.
