A court has ruled that Local Government Chairmen in Plateau State will now serve a four-year tenure, declaring that the two-year tenure provided by Plateau State and PLASIEC laws is inconsistent with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
In a Judgement delivered today 13th March 2026 at the Plateau State High Court by the Chief Judge of Plateau State, Hon. Justice David Gwong Mann. The judgment affirmed that the shorter tenure contradicts constitutional provisions guaranteeing a democratically elected local government system.
The court held that the two-year tenure contained in the laws of the Plateau State Government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) contradicts Section 7(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees a democratically elected local government system.
In its ruling, the court stated that the shorter tenure undermines the constitutional framework for local government administration and therefore cannot stand in the face of the constitutional provision.
The judgment effectively grants a four-year tenure to elected local government chairmen in the state, aligning their tenure with the broader constitutional expectations for democratic governance at the grassroots level.
Further details of the judgment and its implications for local government administration in Plateau State are expected to emerge.