Why INEC Should Be Empowered To Conduct LG Election – Prof. Mahmood

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its readiness to oversee local government elections if granted the responsibility.

This statement was made by INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday, July 25, during his appearance before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters.

The discussion centered on the commission’s preparations for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

Prof Yakubu stated that INEC is capable of managing local government elections, but emphasized that this would require an amendment to the current laws to allow the commission to take on this role. He highlighted that INEC has been successfully conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which have not faced the issues commonly associated with local government elections in the states.

He pointed out several benefits of having INEC manage elections, including the regularity of elections as scheduled, stability in office tenure, and the absence of caretaker committees in the FCT.

Additionally, he noted that there has never been a situation where a single political party won all the seats, which is a common occurrence in state-level elections.

Prof Yakubu concluded that INEC’s management of local government elections would be advantageous for democracy.

However, he reiterated that this shift in responsibility would only be possible with a constitutional amendment to transfer the duty from state electoral commissions to INEC.