INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu Calls for Proper Conduct of Local Government Elections

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed concern over the “coronation” of candidates of ruling parties instead of proper conduct of local government elections across various states.

Yakubu voiced his concerns during a meeting with executive members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commission (FOSIECOM) at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

He acknowledged the shared responsibilities between INEC and FOSIECOM in conducting elections and the challenges faced by State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in fulfilling their mandates.

Yakubu highlighted INEC’s efforts to foster a partnership for credible elections in Nigeria through the establishment of FOSIECOM.

He emphasized the importance of maintaining the independence of SIECs and urged state governors to allow SIECs greater capacity for independent action.

“Over the years, attempts were made to encourage the SIECs to maintain their independence. It is time to stop the coronation and conduct proper elections.

State governors should allow the SIECs to have greater capacity for independent action,” Yakubu stated.

He pointed out several issues hindering the effectiveness of SIECs, including lack of functional offices in local government areas, inability to recruit permanent staff, improper constitution, lack of security of tenure, and severe under-resourcing.

“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. Consequently, many Nigerians mistake the SIECs for INEC,” Yakubu noted.

Yakubu explained that these challenges have forced INEC to reconsider some aspects of its relationship with the SIECs, restricting support mainly to providing the voters’ register as mandated by the Constitution.

“INEC cannot shoulder its own extensive responsibilities and at the same time extend almost limitless support to other independent electoral commissions for elections outside our mandate across the country from our lean Federal budget,” he said.

He also mentioned ongoing discussions about the future of elections for the 774 Local Government Chairmen and 8,809 Councillors in Nigeria.

Under the current law, the 36 SIECs are responsible for electing 768 Local Government Chairmen and 8,747 Councillors.

Yakubu expressed hope that the elections conducted by INEC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would serve as a model for local government elections nationwide, noting progressive improvements in the conduct of Area Council Elections in the FCT.

“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,” Yakubu said.

He urged FOSIECOM to take decisive action, stressing that the independence of SIECs does not solely depend on statutory or financial provisions but also on the courage to protect the integrity and credibility of elections.

“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,” Yakubu added.