•ADC, Obidient Movt, states’ APC, Northern CAN, CSOs, others speak
By Clifford Ndujihe, Dayo Johnson, Sam Oyadongha, Olasunjanmi Akoni, Rotimi Ojomoyela, Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Shina Abubakar, Laolu Elijah, Deola Badru & Luminous Jannamike
THE polity was divided, yesterday, over the verdict of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that local council polls conducted by State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, were of low quality
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, while receiving the new leadership of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria, FOSIECON, in Abuja, on Tuesday, had said “the challenge of local government elections is the quality of the elections.” He stressed the need for INEC, SIECs and other stakeholders to hammer out measures to improve council polls.
Yakubu’s views elicited mixed reactions. While some disagreed with the INEC chairman, some agreed and suggested that the national electoral body should take over the conduct of council elections.
Yet, some blamed INEC for the rot in elections at the grassroots, accusing it of also conducting flawed polls.
Those who spoke on the issue yesterday included Dr Yunusa Tanko of the Obidient Movement; African Democratic Congress, ADC; Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; and state chapters of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos, Bayelsa, Ondo, Oyo, Zamfara and Osun.
Others were Mr Ayo Fadaka of South-West Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and a former presidential aspirant on the platform of Labour Party, LP, Faduri Joseph, among others.
All polls’re below par – Northern CAN
Reacting yesterday, Sunday Oibe of Northern CAN, said there was nothing like local government elections in Nigeria.
“This is a naked truth. Even the blind can see and the deaf could hear clearly that the quality of all the elections conducted by the Nigeria electoral umpire thus far are below standard.
“ As per the local government elections across the country, there was nothing like an election but rather, we witnessed imposition by the various state governors. The wishes of the people are subverted in a brazen manner. Nigeria political class has no regard for the wishes of the people unfortunately so. What we are witnessing is political banditry,” he said.
Yakubu stated the obvious – Fadaka
Former Publicity Secretary of South-West PDP, South West, Ayo Fadaka, said in his reaction: “ lNEC stated the obvious that the quality of elections at local government level remains low, indeed abysmally low.
‘’Those elections cannot in good conscience be described as elections by any standard, it is merely a coronation of those selected by the governors’ from within their parties.
INEC under Yakubu failed Nigeria, despite tech investments – ADC
Reacting, ADC criticised INEC for what it described as the declining quality of elections in Nigeria, despite major investments in electoral technology.
The party accused INEC Chairman, Yakubu, of failing to deliver credible elections, saying public trust in the electoral process had worsened under his leadership.
ADC Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, told Vanguard: “We agree with him (Yakubu). But the real conversation is not just about local government elections, it is about the quality of our elections generally.
‘’Unfortunately, the INEC chairman’s time is up but if you ask most Nigerians, they will tell you that the quality of our elections has been increasingly worse under his leadership, despite investments in technology.”
Lagos APC calls for collaboration
On its part, Lagos State chapter of APC, which reaped bountifully from the July 12 LG polls, said it had taken note of Yakubu’s comments, adding that it was committed to strengthening democratic institutions and processes at all levels.
Lagos APC spokesperson, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, said: “We must also emphasise that the conduct of local government elections falls under the purview of State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, whose independence, capacity, and impartiality vary widely across the country.
‘’We agree that this fragmented structure often leads to inconsistencies in the administration and outcomes of these elections. The APC believes that reform is necessary and timely. We call for a national conversation involving political parties, the National Assembly, INEC, SIECs, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to explore ways of improving the credibility, transparency, and fairness of local government elections.’’
Fouad Oki, a chieftain of Lagos APC, said INEC needed to work with political parties on this and that there was need for synergy between the two in order to win the trust of the electorate.
Fadojoe calls for urgent reforms
A former presidential aspirant under the Labour Party, Faduri Joseph, popularly known as Fadojoe, lamented what he described as the “complete erosion of democracy” at the local government level in Nigeria, saying the country’s foundational tier of governance had been reduced to a tool of state control and political manipulation.
Fadojoe said local government elections across the country had become a “stage-managed affair” where candidates were handpicked, opposition voices stifled, and voters mere spectators in a process that has lost all credibility.”
No excitement in LG polls – Tanko
According to Dr Tanko Yunusa of the Obidient Movement, the local government is actually the grassroot governance, which has to be really enhanced and elections should be made free, fair and justifiable.
However, he lamented that council polls were now heavily manipulated, and canvassed that “INEC should conduct the local government elections for fairness, equity and justice, so that many political parties can be part of that electoral building block at the local government.
Bayelsa APC, Omare, Ambakederimo speak
The APC in Bayelsa State threw its weight behind Yakubu’s declaration that the quality of local government elections in the country was still very low.
The party through its state Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, said: “We agree with INEC on the quality of local government elections in Nigeria. There’s need for improvement. INEC itself needs to improve on its own elections. Free and fair elections are part of the rights of citizenship, not dubious luxuries.”
In his remarks, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, Convener, South South Reawakening Group, said: “Certainly, talking about the quality of local government elections in the country is anything but a charade.”
INEC should conduct LG elections — Shinkafi
A chieftain of the APC in Zamfara State, Suleiman Shuaibu Shinkafi, called for the immediate transfer of responsibility for conducting local government elections from SIECs to INEC, insisting that such a move was necessary to restore fairness, justice, and transparency at the grassroots level. He called for amendment of the constitution to empower the INEC to oversee local elections, as part of broader electoral reforms.
Osun, Oyo, Ondo APC speak
Wole Adunola, Osun APC Publicity Secretary said that “election in local government council has become a contentious issue due to the way and manner ruling parties win all councillor and chairmanship positions across party line. I believe that one of the ways to liberate that tier of government is to make autonomy work in totality.”
In his reaction, the Oyo State Secretary of the APC, Mr Wale Shadare said, “The submission by INEC has been a subject of debate by political watchers for quite some time. Going by our experience in the hand of Gov. Seyi Makinde in 2024, there is nothing like the smooth conduct of local government elections in most of the states and this has to be looked into by all concerned.”
Oyo APC chairman, Alhaji Olaide Abass, said “the assertion by INEC highlights a critical issue that we can no longer afford to overlook. The integrity of local government elections is fundamental to our democracy and the overall governance of our communities.
‘’It is disheartening to see that the very foundation of grassroots leadership is compromised, undermining the trust of the electorate.”
Also, Ondo APC Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, said: “While I understand INEC’s concerns about the quality of local government elections in the country, it’s important to recognise that INEC itself has faced criticism regarding its conduct of national elections..”
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