Following complaints by many opposition political parties about alleged partiality of various state independent electoral commissions in conducting chairmanship and councillorship elections, some stakeholders who spoke with THE WHISTLER on Tuesday have called for the scraping of the law establishing the agency at the state level. According to them, state independent electoral commissions have abused their relevance, hence a snag to Nigeria’s democracy.
The National Chairperson of Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP), Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, said the constitution that empowered states to create their respective electoral commissions is being abused by state governors.
In his words, “The constitutional provisions that empower states to conduct LGA and ward elections are being abused by state governors. It is the replica of what happens at the national level where the president controls INEC. The whole thing therefore boils down to total independence of the electoral umpire from the executive at all levels. A situation where a president appoints the chairman of INEC does not guarantee independence of the electoral umpire. And if governors appoint the state chairmen of their own SIECs, then it becomes the same garbage in and garbage out.”
A veteran journalist, Sir Abuchi Anueyiagu, called for sustained pressures from rights groups, Nigerian masses and the opposition for the abrogation of the law empowering states to conduct LG polls. He said without its dismantling, the entire process would remain laughable. He said the outcomes are retrogressive because those elected are usually not from popular votes.
Hear him, “Chairmanship and councillorship elections across states are laughable. It should concern many Nigerians. State electoral commissions should be erased, and the authority of conducting council polls transferred to INEC. Those that claim to have won the elections are appointed by state governors. People are disappointed. Because of the system, various local government chairmen do nothing in delivering democratic dividends to their people. I urge journalists to embark on tours to evaluate performances of various LGA chairmen. They will find nothing on ground. INEC has lapses, but not to the extent of what state electoral commissions do.”
A human rights lawyer, Mr Chinedu Egbugo, said the practice has crippled opposition at the grassroots. In his words, “It’s trite the saying that he who plays the piper dictates the tune. When and where the state electoral umpire is at the beck and call of the state governor, one should not expect anything else but what has just played out in Enugu State for example. Nigeria’s dangerous overnight slip into a one-party state equally weakens the chances of opposition. The opposition now lacks a fulcrum and has merely become a toothless bulldog, a ship adrift.”
He said the only hope lies with the ‘unregistered party—the electorate”, noting that, “Even at that, it is at the expense of their lives for the future of a country on a rift.”
Hon GOC Nwadike is a former Special Assistant, Media Engagement, to Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State. He said the ruling parties always winning all elections conducted by state electoral commissions retards democratic progression of Nigeria. “The ruling-party-wins-all mentality is not enriching our democracy in any way,” says Nwadike. “It has actually been the bane of our democratic development, and even INEC’s conducting elections may not give us the desired total perfections but at least, INEC would be considerate enough to consider spreading results to few opposition parties to give elections a sense of election. I am in full support of INEC taking over conduct of LG elections. This will sanitize the sector.”
Chiedozie Okolo, a politician, blamed the Peoples Democratic Party for the creation of SIECs in Nigeria’s law. He said, “The PDP under former President Olusegun Obasanjo brought such anti-democratic law into our constitution to empower state governors to be totally in charge of their respective states. It was then conceived to boost PDP’s dominance of the polity. Today the tide has turned around, and the same PDP faithful who now find themselves among the opposition are complaining. It is we, the masses, that are suffering it. People who have no business in administration are being elected as chairmen and councillors. They lack the gut to challenge their governors. They simply obey all directives. They don’t even know how much power they have. Time was when council chairmen stood against governors on issues. Our democracy is dead.”
A research fellow at the University of Nigeria, Osmond Onuh, said the greatest threat to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy is election. “The manner election is being perceived and conducted in Nigeria is like a war. While other elections could be freely contested and have some semblance of election in its real sense, that of the local government is a mere jamboree, a facade, or what I refer to a mere mockery. This is because no sane individual or political party dare contest with any ruling party in the state and have its way. It is a total selection, a mere political appointment.”
He said the recent conduct of local government elections in Enugu State is not different either to what happens across the federation. “It is hundred percent win by the ruling party. The opposition parties are not allowed to make any inroad into the system. Nigerian leaders have learn nothing and forgot nothing. When they are outside the corridors of power, they criticize the system; but give them the privilege to govern, they will bastardize the system.”
Onu said the idea of the 1976 local government reform has been defeated. According to him, “The reform was to unify the entire local government in the country, bring governance closer to the people through grass-roots participation and bring development to the rural populace through funding
“In all these objectives, the critical function was to make local government closer to people through popular participation. Even during the military, local government elections always came first and it was freely contested by different political parties devoid of electoral brouhaha we see these days.”
Some respondents however claim that such provisions are in accordance with the federal system of government which Nigeria practices. Dr Alex Ogbonnia is a former National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. Ogbonnia, a political scientist, said it depends on the people’s attitude. According to him, such is obtainable in a federal system of government. “The fact remains that in a federal system, each federating unit is expected to organize its internal administrative mechanisms in such a way as to achieve a desired goal or objective. Even in the First Republic, each region had a unique local administration.”
For the Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, South, Dr Ben Nwoye, opposition parties in Nigeria should rise to the occasion by campaigning instead of complaining during elections. He decried what he called “the complacency of opposition parties towards elections conducted by various state independent electoral commissions”.
“The opposition are almost a lame duck,” Nwoye said. “They sit down and be calculating and complaining. When I was in the opposition, I made sure we campaigned during all elections. Every two years, I made sure we fielded candidates in all the 260 electoral wards of Enugu State. During the last LG poll in Enugu State, it was in only about four LGAs that you heard about opposition fielding candidates. I didn’t hear the voice of the opposition much.”
According to the Nigeria Civil Society SituationRoom, State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) are established by the respective State Houses of Assembly in each state of the federation via Section 197 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the establishment of SIECs to conduct elections to local government councils.
It said, “The chairman and the members of the SIEC are appointed by the governor of the state, subject to confirmation by the State House of Assembly (Section 198 of the 1999 Constitution). The primary function of SIECs, as outlined in the Constitution, is to organize, undertake, and supervise elections to local government councils within the state and advise the INEC on the compilation of and the register of voters concerning local government elections in the state.”
It said the removal of members of SIECs can only be effected by the governor of the state, adding however that “The governor can only do so if supported by a two-thirds majority of the State House of Assembly”.
