Local Govern-Ment Elections Merit Greater Attention, by Prof. Jega

LOCAL GOVERN-MENT ELECTIONS MERIT GREATER ATTENTION, BY PROF. JEGA

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ocal government elections are becoming as controver-sial as national elections in Nigeria as a result of which they merit greater atten-tion and reflection by those who the country has put faith in to continue to midwife a strong democratic system based on a credible electoral process.

Also, local government elections are as important as any other in the country and stand a better chance of getting elections right at all levels.

These observations were made last week in Ilorin by the INEC Chairman, Profes-sor Attahiru Jega in his opening remarks at the second national conference of the Independent National Electoral Commis-sion (INEC) and State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs).

Professor Jega further observed that by conducting credible local government elections, SIECs would provide the basic building blocks of democratic growth in Nigeria.

He noted that local government elections were holding in the states in quick succession and there was therefore the urgent need to share experiences.

The INEC Chairman stated that to minimize shortcomings and to consolidate gains made in the democracy project, SIECs and INEC must be open to new ideas and methods.

All the thirty-six SIECs presented papers in which they highlighted their chal-lenges and proffered suggestions as to how to surmount them.

The highlights are:

i.  That additional Polling Units (PUs) be created to meet with demographic shifts, increase in population across the country and to decongest existing PUs;

ii.  That emphasis should be placed on the conduct of elections that are free, fair and credible as they hold the propensity of uniting Nigeria and eschewing post-election violence. They also confer legitimacy on elected governments;

iii.  That only persons who are neutral, seasoned and non-partisan should be appointed to superinte-nd/administer the electoral process;

iv.  That to foster understanding stakeholders in the electoral process should be regularly engaged by Election Management bodies (EMBs);

v.  That EMBs should lay accent on putting in place efficient logistics since they are vital in delivering electoral materials and driving the electoral process;

vi.  That EMBs should intensify enlightenment and voter education so that their stakeholders would appreciate the issues in the electoral process;

vii.  That EMBs should be under girded by solid legal and financial frameworks that ensure their independence;

viii.  That to ensure the delivery of wholesome elections, EMBs should intensify training and re-training of their staff;

ix.  That no eschew violence and conflict in the electoral process, political parties should be prevailed upon to ensure internal democracy (in their parties) and respect their constitutions;

x.  That improvement should be brought on the existing Voters Register to remove outstanding blemishes;

xi.  That sanctions should be visited on those who register under aged persons;

xii.  That INEC should consider holding all elections in one day as that would check rigging and reduce cost;

xiii.  That Electronic Voting should be used in the 2019 general elections;

xiv.  That efforts should be made to facilitate Diaspora Voting as soon as possible;

xv.  That the participation of members of the SIECs in the observation of elections conducted by INEC and SIECs greatly enriched their experiences and it should be sustained;

xvi.  That to check the emergence of charlatants, Election Management Bodies (EMBs) should be empowered by law to disqualify candidates;

xvii.  That the number of political parties is unwieldy one it should be pruned down;

xviii.  That to check impunity and to imbue EMBs with necessary authority, electoral offenders should be apprehended and punished;

xix.  That a more robust relationship be established between INEC and SIECs as that would bring about enhanced collaboration and strengthen the SIECs;

xx.  That no gain the confidence of opposition political parties, Chairper-sons of SIECs should not hobnob openly and unnecessarily with their executives;

xxi.  That INEC should immediately facilitate the registration of those who have reached 18 years, those whose names are missing in the Voters’ Register and those who have lost their Voter Cards;

xxii.  That the funding of SIECs should be adequate and made through the first line charge of the consolidated revenue of the States to guarantee their financial autonomy for better planning and coordination of responsibilities;

xxiii.  That copies of updated Voters’ Register per state should be given to each SIEC by INEC for the purpose of Local Government elections.