The Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) has mentioned that it has the capability to conduct elections into the 774 native authorities space councils throughout the nation.
The chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he appeared earlier than the Senate and Home of Representatives Joint Committee on Electoral Issues, to transient lawmakers on the Fee’s
preparations for the upcoming Edo and Ondo State governorship elections and its relationship with the State Unbiased Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in relation to varied courtroom judgements.
LEADERSHIP studies that because the Supreme Judgement of July 11, 2024, granting monetary autonomy to native authorities areas within the nation, there have been divergent views on whether or not SIECs ought to be scrapped to permit INEC to conduct native authorities elections with a view to extricate LGAs from the management of State governors.
Nevertheless, the INEC chairman instructed lawmakers that the fee can conduct elections on the third tier of presidency within the 36 states if the Nationwide Meeting amend the 1999 Structure, transferring the accountability to it to conduct the train.
“The identical Structure that creates INEC additionally creates the State Electoral Commissions. So it’s as much as the Nationwide Meeting to amend the regulation to switch that accountability to the INEC.
“If the accountability for the conduct of native authorities election is transferred to INEC, can INEC cope? The reply is sure! INEC can cope. What are we? By definition, INEC is the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee however proper now we do nationwide elections, we will do state elections, we do native authorities elections.
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“A nationwide electoral fee could also be anticipated to deal with solely the Presidential and Nationwide Meeting elections however we additionally do governorship election, we do State Meeting elections and do the Space Council Elections within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the one a part of the nation the place INEC conducts native authorities elections.
“Broadly talking, if you happen to ask us, can we deal with native authorities elections, sure we will deal with the native authorities elections. When is it going to occur? Whenever you amend the regulation and empower the fee to take action,” the INEC chairman instructed the lawmakers.
In line with Prof. Yakubu, the fee has demonstrated by its observe file that it may well conduct native authorities elections as could be inferred from FCT Space Council polls, which INEC undertakes periodically.
“Test the case of FCT and I’ll prefer to say one or two issues in regards to the FCT native authorities elections. There are six Space Councils within the FCT. Like I mentioned, there are six chairmen within the FCT, there are 62 wards within the FCT.
“Every Ward constitutes Constituency for the election of Councilors and that is one a part of the nation that INEC has carried out native authorities elections and it has resulted within the following:
“Primary, it’s maybe solely a part of the nation the place native authorities elections are held usually as at when due, elections are held within the FCT.
“Quantity two, there has by no means been a Caretaker Committee for any Space Council within the FCT, INEC has been conducting the election usually.
“Quantity three, there’s stability of tenure, it was once three years however in 2022, the Nationwide Meeting amended Electoral Act to offer for a four-year tenure for Space Councils within the FCT.
“Quantity 4, no single political social gathering has ever received elections in all of the constituencies within the FCT. In actual fact, what’s attention-grabbing now’s that out of the six chairmen of the FCT; APC has three Space Councils, PDP has three Space Councils. In the event you take the Councillorship elections, it’s very attention-grabbing certainly; 62 Councilors within the FCT, APC has 19, PDP received in 43 constituencies,” he mentioned.
Yakubu famous that it was on that foundation that many Nigerians say that if INEC is saddled with the accountability of conducting native authorities elections, the identical factor will likely be replicated and it is going to be good for Nigeria’s democracy.
He famous that if INEC is saddled with the obligation of conducting native authorities polls, there have been points that wanted to be addressed reminiscent of funding, therefore 10,000 extra constituencies will likely be transferred to the fee, amounting to over 11,000 the place it is going to be conducting elections.
“In any case, if you happen to switch native authorities elections to INEC, what it means is that you will switch nearly 10,000 Constituencies to INEC. We now have 8,809 wards, every ward is a councillorship constituency. We now have 774 native authorities areas and every native authorities has a md.
“So if you happen to add this to the present 1,591 constituencies the place INEC conducts elections, it’s properly over 11,000 constituencies however the elections will not be held all in sooner or later.
“So, when it comes to capability to do it, INEC can do it we’ve got being doing it within the Federal Capital Territory, we’ve got no points. But when the choice of the Nationwide Meeting is to amend the Structure to saddle INEC with that accountability, then we want an engagement with the Nationwide Meeting.
“There are particular consequential amendments that need to be finished for us to be deal with these extra tasks. As an example, who’s going to fund the ten,000 new Constituencies that INEC will likely be saddled with? There’s want for a dialogue to find out who’s going to fund it. Or will the Federal authorities proceed to fund for the states?
“It’s important to do one thing in regards to the bye-elections if INEC is saddled with extra 10,000 Constituencies, we are going to most likely be doing bye-elections each week,” the Professor of Historical past mentioned.
On the preparation for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections, the INEC chairman mentioned INEC has applied the actions throughout the timelines as offered for by the regulation (Electoral Act, 2022), including that it’ll quickly begin printing the voter register for the 2 states.
He additionally expressed issues over the safety and different challenges being confronted forward of the two-off cycle elections, lamenting use energy of incumbency by governors to the detriment of different opposition events and their candidates.
“We outlined 13 actions resulting in the election as required by regulation from publication of discover for elections to conduct of election. To date, we’ve got applied eight actions. We’re on the ninth exercise and never one exercise has been shifted by sooner or later.
“We now have applied these actions in Edo and Ondo seamlessly. The ninth exercise is the submission of names of polling brokers by political events in Edo by the top of this month, thirtieth July however for Ondo, it could be thirtieth of September.
“These off-cycle elections are very troublesome and really difficult for us. For the straightforward motive that you’ve got one state conducting governorship elections and all of the political events would kind their marketing campaign councils and would deploy all of the governors, all of the honourable members in help of their colleagues. It turns into very difficult for us.
“The ability of incumbency is used to the benefit or drawback of events and candidates and this can be a clear violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act that prohibits the usage of the facility of incumbency to the benefit or drawback of any political social gathering or candidate whether or not it’s out of doors commercial or marketing campaign within the state media or the usage of state amenities like stadia and public areas,” he added.
