The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has advised the National Assembly to take appropriate steps towards granting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the power to conduct local government elections.
The Lagos State Chairman of ZLP, Prince Mode Adenipebi ,made this appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
Adenipebi spoke against the backdrop of the general concern about the credibility of outcomes of most council polls conducted by state electoral commissions, where the ruling party always sweep the polls.
The politician, who noted that the State Electoral Commission (SEC) and its officials were appointees of the State Governor, said it was difficult for outcomes of local elections to go against the will of the governor and ruling party.
Adenipebi said: “It is very, very difficult to see an opposition party winning a seat in most elections being supervised by the state electoral commission.
“We are calling on the National Assembly to expedite the process of amendment of the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 to allow INEC to take charge of the conduct of local government elections.”
He commended the House of Representatives for initiating the process of scrapping state electoral commissions,urging expedited action.
According to him, to deepen democracy and bring out competitive grassroots governance, INEC must be allowed to conduct LG polls.
He said that it was ironical that a federal or state constituency being won by an opposition party in a general elections would not produce an opposition councillor in council election.
“For you to be in the House of Representatives, you must win a particular local government. But when it comes to state local government elections, the opposition that won such a local government finds it hard to win a councillorship seat.
“This cast doubt on the credibility of outcomes of elections being conducted by most state electoral commissions,” he said.
According to him, all lovers of democracy have been clamouring for the restructuring in the nation’s constitition to allow INEC to conduct local government elections.
He added: “We pray this comes to pass soonest when INEC should take over the conduct of the local government and the election, which would bring the chairman and councillor into power.
“We want the NASS to use the same zeal and speed it used to bring back the old the National Anthem ,to amend the law to empower INEC to conduct council elections.
“There is no democracy at the grassroots at all because the state electoral commissions do the bidding of the ruling party in the state because they are appointed by the state.
“That the state ruling party sweeps all chairmanship and councillorship positions in a local government leaves much to to be desired,” he said.
According to him, there is no equity, fairness, and transparency in most elections conducted by state electoral commission.
NAN reports that a bill to empower INEC conduct council elections passed its first reading on the floor of the House on Thursday.
It is titled, “A Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act, 2022 to vest INEC with the power to conduct Local Government Council Elections and for Related Matters.” (NAN)
