Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has raised concerns about the conduct of local government elections in the country.
The INEC Chairman voiced the concern during a courtesy visit by the Executive members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions.
Mahmood described the LG elections as mere coronations of ruling party candidates, calling for significant reforms to ensure fair and credible elections.
He criticised state governors for not allowing State Independent Electoral Commissions to operate independently, lamenting that many SIECs lack functional offices, permanent staff, and the security of tenure necessary to conduct free and fair elections.
In view of this, the INEC boss encouraged the establishment of FOSIECOM in a genuine effort to foster partnership for credible elections in Nigeria.
Mahmood lamented that in some states, these commissions were only constituted shortly before elections and dissolved immediately afterwards, with critical functions often taken over by government officials.
He highlighted the severe underfunding of SIECs, which forces them to rely on INEC for basic election materials like ballot boxes and voting cubicles.
This dependency, he said, had led to confusion among the public, with many mistaking SIECs for INEC.
Given INEC’s extensive responsibilities and the limited federal budget, the chairman emphasised that INEC’s support for SIECs would be largely restricted to providing the voters’ register, as mandated by the Constitution.
He stressed that INEC could not extend limitless support to other commissions for elections outside its mandate.
The INEC boss clarified the jurisdictional boundaries between INEC and SIECs, stating that while INEC was responsible for elections in the Federal Capital Territory, SIECs manage elections for 768 local government chairmen and 8,747 councillors across the country.
He pointed to the FCT elections conducted by INEC as a model for local government elections nationwide, noting improvements such as secure tenures for elected officials, regular elections, and diverse electoral outcomes.