Fifty-six serving councillors in Anambra State have approached the state High Court in Awka, challenging the legality of the two-year tenure prescribed for elected local government officials in the state.
The suit, marked A/261/2026, seeks a declaration that the tenure provision contained in the Anambra State Electoral (Amendment No. 3) Law, 2024 is unconstitutional.
The law, passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly, reduced the tenure of elected local government chairmen, deputy chairmen and councillors to two years.
The councillors, who listed the Attorney-General of Anambra State, the State House of Assembly and the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) as defendants, argued that the provision violates Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees a democratically elected local government system.
They asked the court to declare that the constitutional framework for local governments requires a stable and reasonable tenure that allows elected officials to effectively serve their communities.
The plaintiffs also want the court to declare Section 110(A) of the Anambra State Electoral (Amendment No. 3) Law, 2024 null and void, arguing that it conflicts with the Constitution.
They further urged the court to remove the section from the state’s laws and recognise four years as the appropriate tenure for democratically elected local government officials, consistent with the tenure of elected officials at the federal and state levels.
The councillors are also seeking an order preventing the defendants from dissolving their offices or interfering with their tenure after two years.
They asked the court to stop ANSIEC from conducting elections to replace them until the completion of what they described as their four-year tenure.
The legal action was filed about one month before the planned Anambra local government election scheduled for August 29, 2026.
