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INEC Chair Criticizes Governors For Turning LGs Into ‘Coronations’

Published

6 months ago

May 23, 2024.

INEC Chair Mahmood Yakubu criticized state governors for turning local government elections into mere coronations.
Yakubu highlighted the lack of independence, funding, and resources for State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
He urged FOSIECOM to address these challenges and protect election integrity, while a former lawmaker suggested transferring local government election oversight from SIECs to INEC to reduce manipulation.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has raised serious concerns about the conduct of local government elections in Nigeria, describing them as mere coronations of ruling party candidates.

Yakubu called for significant reforms to ensure these elections are fair and credible.

During a courtesy visit by the Executive members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIECOM) on Wednesday, Yakubu criticized state governors for not allowing State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to operate independently. He noted that many SIECs lack functional offices, permanent staff, and the security of tenure necessary to conduct free and fair elections.

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“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 to foster partnership for credible elections,” Yakubu said.

However, he lamented that the conduct of local government elections in virtually all states has become mere coronations of ruling party candidates. He urged state governors to grant SIECs greater independence.

Yakubu 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, leads to public confusion between SIECs and INEC. “Many Nigerians mistake the SIECs for INEC, and even some candidates for local government elections call them state INEC,” he added.

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He also pointed out that in some states, SIECs are only constituted shortly before elections and dissolved immediately afterward, with critical functions often taken over by government officials.

Given INEC’s extensive responsibilities and limited federal budget, Yakubu emphasized that INEC’s support for SIECs would be largely restricted to providing the voters’ register as mandated by the Constitution. He clarified the jurisdictional boundaries between INEC and SIECs, stating that while INEC is responsible for elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), SIECs manage elections for 768 local government chairmen and 8,747 councillors across the country.

Yakubu called on FOSIECOM to address the legal and financial challenges hindering their operations and to courageously protect the integrity and credibility of elections. He stressed that true independence stems not only from statutory or financial provisions but also from the commitment to uphold democratic principles.