LG polls: INEC Chairman berates States’ Governors over ‘coronation’ of candidates

… Accuses them of meddling in affairs of SIECs

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has lamented that the conduct of Local Government elections in virtually all the States of the Federation has become mere coronation of candidates of the ruling parties.
Consequently, the INEC Chairman has charged the various State Governors to allow their States’ Independent Electoral Commissions to have greater capacity for independent action.
The INEC Chairman stated these on Wednesday while playing host to the executive members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) who paid him a courtesy call in Abuja.
Yakubu specifically told the Governors to stop the ‘coronation’ and ‘conduct proper elections’.
He observed with regrets that many of the SIECs have no functional offices in the Local Government Areas in their States and cannot recruit their own permanent staff.
According to him, “Unfortunately, the conduct of Local Government elections in virtually all the States of the Federation has become mere coronation of candidates of the ruling parties.
“It is time to stop the coronation and conduct proper elections.
“State Governors should allow the SIECs to have greater capacity for independent action.
“Many of the SIECs have no functional offices in the Local Government Areas in their States and cannot recruit their own permanent staff.
“In some States, the SIECs are either not properly constituted, have no security of tenure or their critical functions have been taken over by government officials. “Some SIECs are only constituted on the eve of elections and dissolved thereafter.
“They are also severely under-resourced to the extent that some of them rely on INEC even for basic facilities such as ballot boxes and voting cubicles.
“Consequently, many Nigerians mistake the SIECs for INEC. Indeed, even some of the stakeholders, including candidates for Local Government elections, call them State INEC.
“This situation has forced us to reconsider some aspects of our relationship with the SIECs.
“Our support is now largely restricted to the voters’ register as provided by the Constitution. “