SANUSI QUESTIONS HOLDING OF LOCAL GOVT ELECTIONS, KICKS AGAINST BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE

SANUSI QUESTIONS HOLDING OF LOCAL GOVT ELECTIONS, KICKS AGAINST BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE

Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has questioned the necessity of holding elections at the local government level and having two houses: Senate and House of Reps.

He stated that allowing state governors to appoint competent civil servants as administrators would be more effective and cost-efficient.

He argued that this approach would improve the quality of local governance compared to the current practice of electing local government chairmen.

Sanusi, in an interview with The Sun, highlighted the inefficiency and farcical nature of local government elections, where ruling parties often win all the seats.

He also criticized the misuse of local government funds by state governors, who, according to him, often redirect the money for their purposes.

He further questioned the need for a bicameral legislature, proposing that a single legislative house would suffice, and challenged the necessity of appointing ministers from every state regardless of need.

He stated, “Why do we need a bicameral legislature? Why do we need two houses (Senate and Reps) in Abuja? Why not one?

“Why must we have a minister from every state, even if we don’t need him? Why? Why do we keep pandering to these things?

“So, I think there are a number of things you can do to address those structures because at the end of the day, if you allow the state governors to run… the thing with devolution… is we have 36 states, if only half of the governors are good, at least half of Nigeria has good government, another half will come.”

Sanusi called for a reevaluation of the distribution of power and resources, advocating for greater devolution to the states.

He argued that states, where most Nigerians reside, should have more control over resources to address primary education and healthcare.By reducing the concentration of power and resources at the federal level, Sanusi believed that governance would improve, with at least half of the states providing good governance.