Yiaga Africa Urges National Assembly to Preserve State Electoral Commissions

• Yiaga Africa opposes abolishing State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and transferring their duties to INEC, citing potential negative consequences
• Executive Director Samson Itodo suggests constitutional amendments to ensure SIECs’ independence and prevent the overburdening of INEC and concentration of power

Yiaga Africa has strongly opposed the proposed abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and the transfer of their duties to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In May, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, suggested scrapping SIECs, arguing that their responsibilities should be transferred to INEC to ensure independence and transparency in local government elections. In Abuja, Fagbemi stated that this move would allow democracy to take root in local governments through a robust constitutional amendment.

However, on Friday, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, warned that abolishing SIECs and shifting their duties to INEC would overstretch the commission and undermine state autonomy. In a statement he signed, Itodo emphasized the potential negative consequences of this proposal.

“Yiaga Africa has observed increasing calls for the abolition of SIECs and the transfer of the responsibility of conducting local government elections to INEC. This policy proposal is fundamentally flawed and would have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s 25-year democracy if implemented. First, it will overstretch an overburdened INEC, leading to poorly conducted local elections. Second, it undermines the autonomy of states guaranteed in the Constitution, potentially leading to an overconcentration of power in the Federal Government. Thirdly, it weakens local democracy and citizens’ participation as local communities will be stripped of the opportunity to participate in decision-making.”

Itodo suggested that instead of abolishing SIECs, the government should amend the constitution to ensure operational, administrative, and financial independence. He proposed several measures:

• Amend the Constitution to safeguard the independence of SIECs explicitly.
• Ensure SIECs can make their own rules and regulate procedures without approval or control from governors.
• Address ambiguity regarding the tenure of Local Government Chairmen and councillors through constitutional amendments to minimize arbitrary dissolutions of local governments.
• Establish clear timelines for appointments to SIECs.
• Introduce mechanisms for equitable devolution of power to state and local governments, including laws that grant local governments greater administrative and fiscal autonomy.
• Enact robust legal frameworks for SIEC activities, including guidelines for conducting elections, dispute resolution procedures, and penalties for electoral misconduct.
• Harmonize state electoral laws with the 2022 Electoral Act to ensure uniformity and legal coherence.