A landmark ruling by the Plateau State High Court has nullified the two-year tenure currently being served by elected local government chairmen across the state, declaring it inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution and restoring the standard four-year term for council officials.
In a judgment delivered on Friday by the state Chief Judge, Justice David Mann, the court held that the two-year tenure provided under Plateau State laws and that of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission was inconsistent with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and consequently declared that local government chairmen in the state should serve a four-year tenure.
The Chief Judge was unambiguous in the reasoning behind the ruling. The court held that the two-year tenure contained in the laws of the Plateau State Government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission contradicts Section 7(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees a democratically elected local government system, stating that the shorter tenure undermines the constitutional framework for local government administration and therefore cannot stand. “I therefore grant 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,” Justice Mann ruled.
The judgment is expected to significantly impact local government areas and future council elections in the state. Its timing is particularly consequential given that preparations for the 2026 local government elections are already underway. The ruling came less than two days after the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission approved adjustments to the timetable for the conduct of the 2026 local government elections, extending the period for political parties to conduct their primaries. Political campaigns are scheduled to end at midnight on September 7, 2026, ahead of elections across all 17 local government areas of the state on September 9, 2026, with voting expected between 8am and 3pm.
The ruling also aligns with a broader national judicial direction on the matter. The Supreme Court of Nigeria had previously issued a landmark judgment on local government autonomy, ordering that the four-year tenure enjoyed by state executives be extended to the offices of all local government chairmen — a precedent the Plateau judgment now gives effect to at the state level.
Legal analysts say the ruling will force a review of the state’s local government laws and the PLASIEC enabling legislation, both of which will need to be brought in line with the court’s order before the September 2026 council elections proceed. No immediate response was issued by the Plateau State Government or PLASIEC at the time of filing this report.