The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its readiness to oversee local government elections if mandated by law.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made this declaration on Thursday, July 25, while addressing the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters concerning preparations for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
Yakubu emphasized that INEC possesses the capacity to manage local government elections effectively, provided that the legal framework is amended to grant the commission such authority.
He highlighted INEC’s successful track record in conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which have been free from the issues commonly associated with local government elections.
“INEC has the capacity to handle local government elections, but this would only be possible when the law is amended to permit it,” Yakubu stated.
He cited several advantages of INEC handling these elections, including regularity, stability of tenure, and the absence of caretaker committees in the FCT.
Yakubu also noted that elections managed by INEC have demonstrated political diversity, with no single political party winning all seats, unlike in many state-conducted local government elections.
“The Commission has been conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory which have been devoid of the problems associated with the conduct of local government elections. There are regular elections as when due, stability of tenure, and there has never been a caretaker committee in the FCT,” he explained.
He concluded by asserting that INEC’s involvement in local government elections would enhance democracy in Nigeria, contingent upon constitutional amendments that transfer election oversight from state electoral commissions to INEC.