Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has assured the Chairmen of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) that INEC would continue to collaborate with them in exploring all avenues under the law to improve the conduct of Local Government elections in the country.
He affirmed that both INEC and SIECs were established by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as two distinct and independent bodies, with the latter saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government elections which he described as “fundamental to the proper functioning of our democracy.”
Prof Yakubu spoke during a courtesy visit by executive members of the Forum for State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) to the INEC headquarters, Abuja on Wednesday 22nd May 2024.
He said it was in the realization of shared responsibilities between the two entities for the conduct democratic elections in the country, and the challenges faced by SIECs in carrying out their mandates, that the Commission encouraged the establishment of FOSIECON in a genuine effort to foster partnership for credible elections.
He recalled that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed under which assistance was given in the form of training, provision of some facilities, institutionalization of the culture of planning through the development of strategic plan, holding regular meetings with stakeholders, encouraging SIECs to participate in the Commission’s retreats and accrediting their officials to observed elections conducted by INEC.
“Unfortunately,” Prof. Yakubu noted, “the conduct of Local Government elections in virtually all the States of the Federation has become mere coronation of candidates of the ruling parties. It is time to stop the coronation and conduct proper elections.
“State Governors should allow the SIECs to have greater capacity for independent action. Many of the SIECs have no functional offices in the Local Government Areas in their States and cannot recruit their own permanent staff. In some States, the SIECs are either not properly constituted, have no security of tenure or their critical functions have been taken over by government officials.
“Some SIECs are only constituted on the eve of elections and dissolved thereafter. They are also severely under-resourced to the extent that some of them rely on INEC even for basic facilities such as ballot boxes and voting cubicles.”
Prof Yakubu said INEC had hoped that the elections conducted in the FCT would have provided a model for local government elections across the country. He said that in spite of the challenges encountered, there had been progressive imnprovements in the conduct of the Area Council Elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
His words: “There is security of tenure for Chairmen and Councillors which is now four years. There are no caretaker committees as elections are held regularly. There is plurality in electoral outcomes as no single party has ever won elections in all the constituencies in the Area Councils.
“Happily, the Electoral Act 2022 that now governs the conduct of national and Area Council elections also applies to Local Government elections nationwide. This has been made possible by the efforts of INEC arising from earlier discussions with FOSIECON on the imperative of a model law to govern the conduct of Local Government elections across the country.”
Prof Yakubu also observed that while the Commission was not unaware of the ongoing discussion about the future of elections for the 774 local government Chairmen and Councillors representing 8,809 electoral wards in the country, he insisted that under the extant law, the 36 SIECs are responsible for the election of 768 local government Chairmen and 8,747 Councillors totalling 9, 515 constituencies, while INEC conducts elections for 68 constituencies in the FCT, made up of six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councillors, including bye-elections as they arise.
He urged the FOSIECON members to take the bull by the horns, asserting that while there were legal and financial constraints to their operations, their independence does not necessarily draw from statutory or financial provisions alone.
He said: “the courage with which you discharge your obligation to protect the integrity and credibility of elections is the most important determinant of success.”
National Chairman of FOSIECON, Mr. Jossy Eze in his address asked for a review of the MoU between the two entities “to make it more functional and effective in the face of changing electoral needs.”
He also demanded for the reconstitution of the joint INEC/FOSIECON Committee, assistance to develop a Strategic Plan and support for “true independence of SIECs”. (inecnews.com)
