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Govs frustrating SIECs from conducting free, fair elections — INEC Chairman

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday decried the overbearing posture of state governors, which he noted was a great encumbrance on State Independent National Electoral Commissions to discharge their statutory roles conscientiously.

The INEC Chairman raised the allegation at a meeting with members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIECOM) held in Abuja.

The Chairman of FOSIECOM, Chief Barrister Jossy Chibundu Eze, who is also the Chairman of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, led his colleagues to the INEC headquarters for the meeting.

Professor Yakubu, who noted that his commission seized the initiative to collaborate with FOSIECOM to foster credible elections at the local government level, lamented that sitting governors have frustrated the good initiative.

The INEC Chairman listed poor funding of the SIECs and the absence of properly defined tenure as bottlenecks orchestrated by governors to undermine the SIECs.

He said, “Realising our shared responsibility for the conduct of democratic elections in Nigeria and the challenges faced by SIECs in carrying out their mandates, INEC encouraged the establishment of FOSIECOM in a genuine effort to foster partnerships for credible elections in Nigeria.

“Over the years, attempts were made to encourage the SIECs to maintain their independence. We signed an MoU under which assistance was provided in the form of training, the provision of some facilities, institutionalisation of the culture of planning through the development of a strategic plan, holding regular meetings with stakeholders, encouraging the SIECs to participate in our retreats, and accrediting their officials to observe our elections.

“We also established the joint INEC/FOSIECOM consultative committee headed by a national commissioner. All these initiatives were proposed and undertaken with the firm belief that, by working together, the 36 SIECs will leverage the experience of INEC for a progressive improvement in the conduct of local government elections in Nigeria.

“Unfortunately, the conduct of local government elections in virtually all the states of the Federation has become the 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 of 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 underresourced, 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. Indeed, even some of the stakeholders, including candidates for local government elections, call them state INEC. This situation has forced us to reconsider some aspects of our relationship with the SIECs.

Our support is now largely restricted to the voters’ register as provided 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.”

Professor Yakubu, who appealed to the Chairmen of SIECs to borrow a leaf from the Federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections being conducted by his Commission, also admonished them to show courage in the discharge of their onerous assignment.

“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 FOSIECOM on the imperative of a model law to govern the conduct of local government elections across the country.

“I therefore appeal to FOSIECOM to take the bull by the horns. While there are legal and financial constraints on your operations, your independence does not necessarily come 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.”

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