The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has lamented about the conduct of local government elections, describing it as the coronation of candidates of ruling parties in states.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who received a Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIEC) in Abuja on Wednesday, said the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) should conduct proper elections instead of simply crowning candidates.
He also called on the 36 state governors to “allow the SIECs to have greater capacity for independent action.”
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“Unfortunately, the conduct of local government elections in virtually all the states of the federation has become mere coronation of candidates of the ruling parties. It is time to stop the coronation and conduct proper elections,” he stated.
“Many of the SIECs have no functional offices in the local government areas in 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 under-resourced to the extent that some of them rely on INEC even for basic facilities such as ballot boxes and voting cubicles.”
Yakubu said the situation has compelled INEC “to reconsider some aspects of our relationship with the SIECs,” adding that the commission’s 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,” the INEC Chairman stated.
