Niger in Crisis: Council Boss Fights State Law, Seeks Election Suspension

According to iReporter Online, the Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area in Niger State, Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, has instituted legal proceedings against the Niger State Government over what he describes as an unlawful attempt to truncate the tenure of democratically elected local government officials.

The suit, which was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenges the validity of the Niger State Local Government Law of 2001. The law in question reduces the term of local government chairmen and councillors from four years to three—a change Yakubu-Ladan insists is inconsistent with both the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act of 2022.

Through his legal counsel, Chris Udeoyibo, the chairman is urging the court to declare Section 29 (2) of the said state law unconstitutional. The lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025, was filed on July 11, 2025, and seeks the court’s interpretation of eight legal issues concerning the enforcement and validity of the state’s legislation.

Named as defendants in the case are the Attorney-General of Niger State, the Niger State House of Assembly, the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).

Yakubu-Ladan is also seeking an injunction to halt preparations for the scheduled November 1, 2025, local government elections across the state. He is requesting the court to restrain the electoral and security agencies from offering any form of support—logistical or otherwise—until the current tenure of elected officials completes its constitutionally mandated four-year duration.

Despite the legal challenge, NSIEC has continued its plans to conduct the polls, a move that has stirred concern among some political stakeholders.

At the time of reporting, the case had yet to be assigned to a judge.