The event, organized by the House of Representatives, aimed to address pressing security issues and governance at the grassroots level. Gagbemi highlighted that state governors exploit the flaws and loopholes in the 1999 Constitution to undermine and render local governments ineffective.

"Governors have taken advantage of the inadequacies in sections such as 7(1), 83(3), and 7(5) of the Constitution to impose their will on local governments," Gagbemi asserted. He emphasized that these constitutional weaknesses allow governors to violate the rights of local governments, depriving grassroots communities of their benefits.

Gagbemi pointed out that one of the most egregious abuses is the use of state electoral commissions to install local government leaders through fraudulent elections. He noted that many governors appoint caretaker leadership instead of conducting legitimate elections, further diminishing the autonomy and effectiveness of local governments.

Moreover, he criticized the misuse of states/local governments' joint accounts by state governors, which has led to financial constraints for local governments as governors retain control over federal allocations meant for these local bodies.

To rectify these issues, Gagbemi proposed the elimination of State Electoral Commissions. He argued that their functions and powers should be transferred to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure fair and democratic local government elections.

"To achieve this," Gagbemi said, "many experts have suggested scrapping state independent electoral commissions. Their functions should be transferred to INEC, as state commissions are often mere extensions of the incumbent governors' influence. This is seen as the root cause of the problems in local government administration in Nigeria."

He also called for comprehensive constitutional amendments to remove all obstacles hindering local governments from performing their constitutionally mandated functions effectively.