LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS: INEC Urges ISECs to follow the rules of Elections

Oru Leonard 

Worried over unbearable interference of state Governors local government elections, Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has cautioned State electoral bodies against violating electoral regulations.

Prof. Mahmood expressed this concern during a courtesy call by the Executive Members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIECOM) on INEC National Headquarters, in Abuja on Wednesday.

The INEC Boss who also expressed hope that the method used by INEC in the FCT, that includes regular elections, security of tenure, and plural electoral outcomes, could serve as a template for local government elections nationwide.

He also urged FOSIECOM to demonstrate the courage and determination needed to protect the integrity and credibility of elections, despite legal and financial constraints.

“Unfortunately, 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.

“INEC is not unaware of the ongoing discussions about the future of elections for the 774 Local Government Chairmen as well as Councillors representing the 8,809 electoral wards in Nigeria. However, under the extant law, the 36 SIECs are responsible for the election of 768 Local Government Chairmen and 8,747 Councillors, making a total of 9,515 constituencies. INEC conducts elections for the 68 constituencies in the FCT made up of 6 Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councillors, including bye-elections as they arise.”

He also added, “It has been our earnest hope that the elections conducted by INEC in the FCT will provide a model for Local Government elections across the country. In spite of the challenges encountered, there has been a progressive improvement in the conduct of the Area Council Elections in the FCT. 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.

“I therefore appeal to FOSIECON to take the bull by the horns. While there are legal and financial constraints to your operations, your independence does not necessarily draw from statutory or financial provisions alone. The courage with which you discharge your obligation to protect the integrity and credibility of elections is the most important determinant of success. There are no shortcuts to the discharge of this enormous responsibility.

“I want to reassure you that INEC will continue to work with you to push the boundaries of electoral reform. Working together, we should continue to explore all avenues under the law to improve the conduct of Local Government Elections in Nigeria. However, you should always bear in mind that INEC and other stakeholders can only help you, but there must be a determination on your part to do the needful.”

In his earlier remark, Chibundu Jossy Eze, Chairman of FOSIECON bemoaned the lack of functional offices, inadequate staffing, and insufficient resources faced by many SIECs, as factors hindering their ability to conduct credible elections.

He said, “Many of the SIECs have no functional offices in the Local Government Areas in their States and cannot recruit their own permanent staff” .