The Kogi State High Court sitting in Koton Karfe has fixed Wednesday, October 7, 2026, for ruling in a suit seeking to extend the tenure of elected local government chairmen and councillors in the state to four years.
The suit was filed by Moses Christy, a councillor representing Okehi Local Government Council, on behalf of all elected local government officials in Kogi State.
Presiding over the matter on Monday, Justice Aminu Eri admitted the preliminary applications, motions, and affidavits filed by the claimant and the defendants before adjourning for ruling.
The claimant is challenging Section 50 of the Kogi State Local Government Law 2023 and Sections 25 and 26 of the Kogi State Local Government Law (as amended in 2025), which mandate two- and three-year tenures for local government officials.
Addressing journalists after the court proceedings, lead counsel for the claimant, J.A. Akubo, SAN, stated that the respondents in the suit include the Kogi State Government, the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC), and the Kogi State House of Assembly.
“What our client is seeking is not new. It has been tested and done in Plateau State,” Akubo said, arguing that state laws restricting local council tenures to two or three years violate the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.
Akubo further noted that the respondents filed their processes outside the prescribed timeframe, expressing optimism that the court would determine the matter expeditiously ahead of the Kogi State local government election scheduled for October 16, 2026.
The Kogi State Government was represented during the proceedings by a legal team comprising Dr. Zakari, O.O. Adegboyega, and V.A. Shaibu.
