By Peace Udugba
Stakeholders in Ebonyi have called for a constitutional amendment to scrap State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and transfer the responsibility of conducting local government elections back to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abakaliki, they argued that such a move would strengthen the electoral process, ensure credibility and transparency, and promote true grassroots inclusion.
While reviewing the conduct of council elections across Nigeria, the stakeholders expressed concern over widespread compromise and a perceived lack of credibility in local government polls.
Chief Ejiofor Ndukwe, a former councillor and legislative leader in Ivo Local Government Area, claimed that state governors have effectively turned SIECs into extensions of their offices.
“SIECs can never, will never, and shall never conduct credible, free, fair, and transparent elections as long as governors retain control over them,” said Chief Ejiofor Ndukwe.
He insisted the problem lies not in funding or incompetence, but in the structural design of the commissions.
“Governors dictate for the commissions; they often handpick councillors and chairmen through SIEC-organised polls, leaving the people without a voice.
“I suggest that councils be given autonomy and their elections returned to INEC,” he added.
Supporting the call, Prof. Egwu Oguguo of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI) described SIECs as political patronage tools.
“Individuals lobby seriously to be appointed to the commissions, and when such individuals get the appointment, the outcome is usually predetermined,” he stated.
Oguguo, who also serves as Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi chapter, emphasised that the only way to strengthen grassroots democracy is by reverting to the previous system where INEC conducted local government elections.
In her remarks, women’s rights activist Mrs. Ngozi Ogbodo described the current arrangement as “a mockery of democracy at the grassroots” and called for the immediate scrapping of SIECs.
“Council elections under SIECs have always been a one-party affair where the ruling party sweeps all seats.
“Women and other vulnerable groups are further sidelined because the process is predetermined,” she stated.
Mr. Emmanuel Okorie, a civil society advocate, echoed similar concerns, noting that the lack of credible council elections hinders grassroots development.
“When leaders emerge through imposition, they are accountable only to the governor who endorsed them and not to the people,” he said.
“Until INEC is given back the mandate, local government will remain a puppet tier of government,” Okorie asserted.
Similarly, Mr. Chukwuma Nwite, a political science lecturer at Ebonyi State University (EBSU), described SIECs as “a constitutional aberration” that grants excessive power to governors.
“If we are serious about grassroots development, council polls should be handled by INEC to inspire public trust,” Nwite said.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the last time local government elections were conducted by INEC was in 1998, before a Supreme Court ruling transferred the responsibility to state-controlled electoral commissions.
