Yiaga Africa has kicked against abolishing the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and transferring their duties to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

BENDEL Mirror recalled that in May, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, had advocated the scrapping of SIECs.

According to Fagbemi, their functions should be transferred to INEC to ensure independence and transparency in the conduct as well as outcome of local government elections.

Fagbemi said scrapping state electoral commissions would allow democracy to take its roots in the local governments through a robust constitutional amendment.

Reacting to the development on Friday, Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, said abolishing the SIECs and transferring their responsibilities to INEC would overstretch the commission and undermine the autonomy of states.

“Yiaga Africa has observed increasing calls for the abolition of SIECs and the transfer of the responsibility of conducting local government elections to the INEC. This policy proposal is fundamentally flawed and would have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s 25-year democracy if implemented. First, it will overstretch an overburdened INEC leading to poorly conducted local elections.

“Second, it undermines the autonomy of states guaranteed in the Constitution, potentially leading to an over concentration of power in the Federal Government. Thirdly, it weakens local democracy and citizens’ participation as local communities will be stripped of the opportunity to participate in decision-making.”, Itodo said in a statement he personally signed

Itodo noted that instead of abolishing the states commission, federal government should amend the constitution to safeguard the operational, administrative and financial independence of the SIECs.

“Amend the Constitution to explicitly safeguard the operational, administrative and financial independence of SIECs. Ensure that the power of the SIECs to make its own rules and regulate procedures should not be subject to the approval or control of governors, thereby protecting their autonomy.

“Address the ambiguity regarding the tenure of Local Government Chairmen and councilors through constitutional amendments to minimize arbitrary dissolutions of local governments by Governors supported by state legislatures. Establish clear timelines for making appointments into SIECs.

“Introduce additional mechanisms for equitable devolution of power to state and local government, including laws that empower local governments with greater administrative and fiscal autonomy

“It is imperative for state assemblies to enact robust legal framework for SIEC activities, including guidelines for conducting elections, dispute resolution procedures, and penalties for electoral misconduct. State electoral laws must be harmonized with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act to ensure uniformity and legal coherence.”, he stated