Alleged Reduction Of Local Government Chairmen’s Tenure, A Mistake – Abia Assembly

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The  Abia State House of Assembly has attributed the controversy surrounding the alleged plans to alter the tenure of Local Government Mayors and Councilors in the State to “a clerical error”.

The Source reports that there has been unease within the State political landscape owing to widespread speculations pointing to plans by  the Abia state Government through the legislative body to reduce the tenure of Council Chairmen from four years to two .

The alleged move, as would be expected, instantly drew the ire of the opposition with the Peoples Democratic Party PDP leading the charge.

In an open letter to Governor Alex Otti on Thursday March 6, 2025, by its chairman, Comrade Abraham Amah, the Abia PDP expressed serious concern about the alleged move to reduce the tenure of the elected council officials.

The party described the alleged plans as not only ill-advised, unconstitutional, undemocratic, but, also, a serious threat and assault on democracy and rule of law .

But reacting to the situation on Thursday, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon Austin Okezie Meregini, explained that while there is  a bill on the ground, the tenure of the elected council officials remain four years.

Rt Hon Meregini ,who is also the Chairman House Committee on Information, noted that  any reference to a two year term in the said bill may have been as a result of a clerical error.

He assured that there is no plans to reduce the four- year tenure of the current elected Council Officials .

According to him, the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, is irrevocably committed to upholding integrity and consistency in the governance space of the State.

“Any one who may have come across a-two year tenure in the bill should. understand that it was a mistake.

I want to make it clear that the tenure remains four years. Governor Otti is a man of principle who does not shift the goal post midway into a match”, the Deputy Speaker noted .

According to him, the bill will be subjected to a thorough examination before being passed.

“The bill has just passed its second reading, and will proceed to the Committee stage next week where all details will be thoroughly examined.

“I have addressed this issue on multiple media platforms, and I am using this opportunity to reaffirm that once the bill is passed, the tenure will be officially set at four years and not two years”, Rt Hon Meregini noted .