Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, says there is the need for scrapping State Electoral Commissions, which he described as the main impediments to the development of local governments.

He said this at a one-day ‘Discourse on National Nigeria’s Security Challenges and Good Governance At the Local Government Levels” in Abuja on Monday.

The programme with the Theme: ‘Nigeria’s Security Challenges And Good Governance At The Local Government Levels’ was organised by the House of Representatives.

According to Fagbemi, governors have latched on to the inadequacies and lacunas in some sections of the 1999 Constitution to undermine and render local governments redundant.

He accused governors of exploring the weaknesses of Section 7(1); Section 83(3); Section 7(5) and others to impose their will on the local governments in the country.

Fagbemi noted that these inadequacies have allowed the governors to abuse the rights of local governments and in turn deprive people at the grassroots to feel their presence.

The Minister of Justice stated that the most prominent abuse of local government was the use of state electoral commissions to impose leaders at the local government levels through sham elections while most Governors only appoint caretaker leadership in their local governments.

He further noted that the abuse of States/ local governments joint accounts by state governors have imposed a fiscal emasculation which has rendered the local governments poor as the governors hold on to their federal allocations. (Daily Trust)