The Accord party in Lagos State has reiterated the need for the National Assembly to scrap the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to guarantee the integrity of elections at the grassroots.
The Lagos State Chairman of Accord, Dele Oladeji, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, while speaking about Saturday’s local government elections in the state.
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Mr Oladeji, who noted that state electoral commissions were not independent, said scrapping them would ensure the will of the people prevails in grassroots elections.
He said that SIEC duties should be transferred to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to enhance democracy and ensure healthy political participation and competition at the grassroots..
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Mr Oladeji said, “Nigerians are ready for better elections, but when the umpire is biased, there is nothing they can do, and a lack of confidence in the process is the root cause of apathy.
“State Electoral Commissions are not in any way independent. LASIEC is an example. They are not in any way independent.
“So, if we really want true democracy at the grassroots, there is need for INEC to take over the conduct of state elections.
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“Saturday’s local government election in the state is nothing to be proud of. The preparations were haphazard, while many opposition candidates were disenfranchised by the commission.”
According to him, the narrative that INEC will be overburdened if saddled with the responsibility to conduct council polls is an excuse for not wanting progress.
He said though INEC could not be said to be perfect in the conduct of national elections, allowing the body to handle council polls would build confidence among political stakeholders and promote grassroots governance.
“They won’t be overburdened, it is a lie. INEC has been around for some time, fine-tuning its operations.
“INEC can effectively and efficiently run local government elections, just as they run state and national elections,” he said.
Speaking about Saturday’s polls, Mr Oladeji said that the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) got its formula wrong, raising serious questions about the election’s credibility.
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The chairman said: “The election cannot in any way be said to be free and fair, and the fault is mainly from the electoral commission.
“It is not free and fair because the formula was wrong; there is no way you can get the answer.
“When you have candidates properly nominated by a political party, but disenfranchised by the umpire, when you have candidates that were not even sure of whether they are on the ballot, not until election day, we cannot call that election credible.
“So, all those anomalies were there. It was not credible,” he said.
He said that LASIEC has a lot to learn from INEC to deliver acceptable elections and outcomes.
“LASIEC needs to borrow a leaf from INEC for efficiency and transparency,” he said
NAN reports that 15 political parties participated in the state’s local government election.
(NAN)
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