Experts and stakeholders have discussed organising credible local government (LG) elections in Nigeria.
The experts spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during a session at the ongoing Media and Development Conference (MDC 2024) organised by the Centre for Journalism and Innovative Development.
The MDC 2024 is a three-day event and is themed, “Navigating Global Shifts: Media and Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Africa.”
They also spoke about the rampant legal violations in the conduct of local government elections in Nigeria, attributing them to systemic flaws and malpractices that continue to undermine the democratic process.
The experts lamented governors’ control of state electoral bodies, the exclusion of opposition candidates, and the manipulation of election results, highlighting them as major flaws in the system.
The session moderated by the CJID project manager, Media and National Elections, Amina Miango was a panel discussion on “local government autonomy and the prospect for grassroots development.”
The panelists include chairperson of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), Hajara Muhammad; Head, Tracka, BudgiT, Ayo Ladipo; the executive director of the Electoral College of Nigeria, Kunle Lawal; and Chairman of Information & Voter Education Committee(IVEC), Festus Okoye.
Okoye in his estimate said that 99 percent of the local government elections conducted in the country the last few years violate the law.
He lamented the lack of independence and the control governors exert on the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), the body overseeing local government elections, saying that they have also made it difficult to conduct credible elections.
“In many cases, state governments delay or avoid conducting local government elections altogether, opting instead to appoint caretaker committees,” he said.
“This practice undermines constitutional provisions that mandate democratically elected local government councils.”
The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), Mrs Muhammad, contributing promoted credibility in elections.
Muhammad said according to the law, every state government must guarantee the autonomy of the local government, but she lamented that this is not the reality in Nigeria.
“The assumption that electronic voting guarantees credible elections at the local government election level is wrong,” she said.
“Instead, we need to straighten up the institution to conduct credible elections. Electronic voting alone cannot address political interference in Nigeria’s electoral system.”