A High Court sitting in Jos has ruled that Local Government Chairmen in Plateau State will henceforth serve a four-year tenure, striking down the two-year term contained 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 stipulated by the state government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) contradicts Section 7(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
The court ruled that the shorter tenure is inconsistent with constitutional provisions that guarantee a democratically elected local government system.
According to the court, the two-year term undermines the constitutional framework governing local government administration and therefore cannot stand against the supremacy of the Constitution.
The ruling effectively restores a four-year tenure for elected local government chairmen, bringing the tenure structure in line with broader constitutional expectations for democratic governance at the grassroots level.
The judgment comes ahead of the local government elections scheduled for September 2026 by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission.
