Make SIECs truly independent to conduct credible elections

By Editorial Board

07 June 2024   |   4:38 americium

For ideology to thrive astatine the grassroots for the payment of the radical and nationalist development, the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) should beryllium made genuinely autarkic to behaviour escaped and just elections, alternatively of the sham polls to deliberately enforce surrogates of the governors connected the communities. For excessively long, the section governments successful astir states of the federation person been successful ‘captivity’ of the overbearing governors with the assistance of the alleged authorities electoral bodies who behaviour elections that are won lone by candidates of the governors, who are aboriginal utilized to perpetrate each manners of fraud astatine the grassroots, including siphoning the assembly funds. It is sad. The communicative indispensable change.

 
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu precocious came retired hard connected State Independent Electoral Commissions, describing them arsenic outfits for crowning candidates, alternatively of conducting due elections. 
  
During a sojourn by the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIEC) to INEC, successful Abuja, the president lampooned the shoddy elections conducted by SIECS, which deficiency integrity and person successful each cases posted landslide victories for sitting governors and their ruling parties. He berated the authorities electoral bodies for lacking capacity, with galore not having functional offices successful the section authorities areas and not keeping imperishable staff.
   
Yakubu said: “It is clip to halt the coronation and behaviour due elections…In immoderate states, the SIECs are either not decently constituted, person nary information of tenure oregon their captious functions person been taken implicit by authorities officials. Some SIECs are lone constituted connected the eve of elections and dissolved thereafter. They are besides severely under-resourced to the grade that immoderate of them trust connected INEC, adjacent for basal facilities specified arsenic ballot boxes and voting cubicles.”
   
Indeed, the SIECs person debased the thought of predetermination arsenic a ground for periodic show assessments of governance astatine the grassroots. In collusion with authorities governments, the SIEC’s shambolic handling of assembly elections has made it a laughing banal of section authorities administration. All implicit the country, the section authorities strategy has mislaid relevance due to the fact that of authorities governments’ overbearing control. The competitiveness and vibrancy envisaged for section authorities medication successful the 1999 Constitution person not been realised. Local governments’ wide areas of jurisdiction arsenic provided successful the Constitution person been encroached connected by the authorities governments.
   
For example, the 1999 Constitution, successful the Fourth Schedule, assigns functions that the section authorities assembly is to undertake. It is the work of the section authorities to found and support cemeteries, burial grounds and homes for the destitute and the infirm. The section councils are to establish, support and modulate slaughterhouses, slaughter slabs, markets, centrifugal parks and nationalist conveniences. The section authorities administrations are charged with constructing and maintaining roads, streets, drains, etc. Most of these tasks and the revenues that ought to accrue to the section authorities person been taken implicit by the authorities governments.
 
On elections, Section 7(1) of the Constitution provides for democratically elected assembly administration. However, the tenure of the medication is stated successful the section authorities instrumentality successful each state.
 
While the Constitution is explicit connected tenure for governors and lawmakers arsenic good arsenic for the president, it is soundless connected the tenure of section authorities administration. It is this lacuna that states person exploited since 1999 to contradict councils regular and reliable tenures. Most states are not accordant connected assembly elections. They similar to name caretaker officials who are not the prime of the radical and are, therefore, not accountable to them. 
  
Since astir section councils are not tally democratically, they are incapable to present improvement astatine the astir important tier wherever citizens are astir impacted. Instead, their loyalty is to the governors who facilitated their information and alleged election. The accusation is that determination is small oregon nary governance astatine the grassroots.
 
To heighten bully governance astatine the section authorities level, we urge free, just and credible elections arsenic the archetypal measurement towards having prime hands to negociate governance astatine that level. Quality elections volition besides escaped councils from domination by governors, who similar to enforce surrogates into office.
  
Due to a deficiency of assurance successful their activities, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has advocated the scrapping of the SIECS. He said their functions should beryllium transferred to INEC.
  
In a suit helium instituted astatine the Supreme Court connected behalf of the Federal Government, Fagbemi arsenic demanded that the apex tribunal should void the withholding of section authorities funds.
   
The clip has travel for a holistic reappraisal of provisions of the Constitution connected section authorities medication successful the state to escaped them from undue interference by the states. It is clip to supply an due mechanics for councils to discharge their responsibilities and transportation retired the functions outlined successful Schedule 4 of the Constitution. The reappraisal should besides legislate a fixed tenure for elected assembly officials.
  
While we bash not canvass transportation of SIECs’ duties to INEC for the evident information that it would negate the rule of federalism, which popularly identifies 2 federating units – national and states- we advocator that section governments tin beryllium arsenic a tier that channels improvement to the grassroots without jeopardising the tone of federalism. This is done successful different national democracies, wherever section administrations run seamlessly and person been good embedded and accommodated.
  
Another crushed we bash not enactment the transportation of SIECs’ functions to INEC is due to the fact that the quality origin successful each elections is taxable to manipulation and abuses. This contiguous INEC is not amended than galore SIECs, arsenic records person shown. Instead of going from frying cookware to fire, we urge much usage of exertion to present prime elections. There is thing incorrect with SIECs collaborating and partnering with INEC and utilizing facilities of the national electoral body, provided determination is accountability. States tin adjacent beryllium made to prosecute facilities of INEC and prevention the resources for different pressing needs.
We situation the governors to fto section governments survive. Let the tier present bully governance to citizens astatine the grassroots.