The Plateau State High Court has ruled in favor of the state’s local government chairmen, granting their request for a four-year tenure and nullifying the existing two-year term stipulated in state laws.

The 17 local government council chairmen had filed a suit against the Plateau State Government and the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), seeking an extension of their tenure from two years to four years. They argued that the shorter tenure violated provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

In a landmark judgment delivered on Friday, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice David Gwong Mannin, held that the two-year tenure provided under Plateau State laws and by PLASIEC is inconsistent with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

The court further stated that the two-year tenure contradicts constitutional provisions that guarantee a democratically elected local government system. According to the ruling, a shorter tenure weakens the constitutional framework designed to ensure stable and effective local government administration.

Justice Mannin emphasized that the four-year tenure for elected local government chairmen aligns with the constitutional expectations for democratic governance at the grassroots level. The court therefore declared the two-year tenure invalid and affirmed a four-year term for the chairmen.