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IPAC calls for amendment of Constitution to empower INEC to conduct LG election 

 

By JOHN ONAH, Abuja –

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has called for the amendment of the Constitution and the Electoral Act to empower INEC to conduct all Local Governments polls.

National Chairman IPAC, Yusuf Mamman Danttale who made the call on Monday in Abuja at the third INEC quarterly consultative meeting with the leaders of political parties, said the council rejects the proposed bill by the Senate to create the so-called Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), bearing in mind that it would be another SIEC in disguise.

“It is unacceptable, ill-conceived, another electoral jamboree that will impede the nation’s democracy and waste public funds at a time when citizens demand a smaller government to reduce the cost of governance”, he said.

“SIECS do not have voter registers, BVAS, IReV portals, ballot boxes and trained personnel to conduct credible elections. The polls they pretend to conduct contribute to voters’ apathy and distrust in the electoral process”.

“To restore confidence in the electoral system, INEC should be empowered to conduct all Local Government elections. Politics is local, citizens should be encouraged to actively participate in grassroots politics and contribute in building a better society”.

According to him, as a major stakeholder in the political process, IPAC is unwavering in its quest for electoral integrity, sanctity of the ballot box and respect to the will and mandate of the people, political stability and well-being of Nigerians.

“After 25 years of unbroken democracy, citizens expect and deserve abundant dividends of democracy from governments at all levels to assuage their sufferings. IPAC feels the pains of fellow compatriots and has been in touch with relevant authorities with a view to ameliorating the hardship in the land. This is why we must continue to water and nurture the democracy tree into maturity to yield its fruits to citizens and redirect the nation to the path of prosperity and greatness. This requires citizens’ active participation in the democratic process. It also means that governments at all levels must be held accountable as power resides in the people”.

He commended the recent financial autonomy granted to the 774 Local Governments in Nigeria following the landmark judgement of the Supreme Court. It will go a long way in transforming the nation and providing basic social amenities to citizens at the third tier of government.

To further deepen democracy at the grassroots level, IPAC therefore demanded the immediate scrapping of the States Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) noting that the charade called elections they conduct is an aberration, dent and mockery of emerging democracy; a waste of tax payers’ money that ought to have been channeled to developmental projects.

For the Edo State governorship election, Danttale noted that the die is cast and that there was no substitute for free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful poll.

He added that success of the election along with Ondo’s will go a long way in restoring trust in the democratic process essential for enduring representative governance.

” Flawed elections that produced incompetent leaders are the remote cause of economic stagnation, political upheavals and socio-religious disharmony in the polity as the imposed leaders seek personal interests in place of national interest”.

“On behalf of leaders of political parties, l wish to commend the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission for organizing quarterly consultative meetings, which provide the Commission and political parties the opportunity to discuss, strategize and chart the way forward for sustainable democracy in Nigeria”, he added.

Earlier, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, reiterated the commission’s preparedness for the conduct of election in Edo State, stating that with 53 days to the exercise, INEC has recovered from the torrential rainfall that resulted in the severe flooding of its state headquarters in Benin City two months ago.

According to Yakubu, the damage to the physical infrastructure has been fixed; vehicles have been repaired while other movable and immovable facilities have been serviced, refurbished or are being gradually replaced.

“We have delivered additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to Edo State for the training of election duty personnel as well as contingency for Election Day support,” he said.

The INEC chairman further disclosed that as at Sunday 28th July 2024, 14 political parties had uploaded the details of 38,354 polling agents and 819 collation agents for the Edo State Governorship election.

He said the final register for the 2024 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states are being finalised, adding that the commission will publish the final figures of new voters in the two States as well as their distribution by gender, age, occupation and disability before the week end.

“The Commission is aware that going by our Timetable and Schedule of Activities, the register of voters will be published not later than 30 days before the date fixed for the election,” he said.

Yakubu assured chairmen of political parties that each party fielding candidates in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State will receive the softcopy of the register on 20th August 2024 while that of Ondo State will take place on 15th October 2024.

The INEC chairman called on party leaders to demonstrate compliance with the commission’s regulations and guidelines for political parties 2022, especially the aspect dealing with rallies, processions and campaigns already available on our website.

“The campaign period has often been characterised by acrimony and tension. Sadly, it is also a period of verbal abuse and physical confrontation among parties, candidates and their supporters.

“The Commission finds the recent event in Edo State resulting in the death of a security personnel worrisome. Happily, there has been no incident known to the Commission since then. Nevertheless, the Commission will meet with the security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

“I want to assure you that security in Edo and Ondo will be a major issue for discussion at the meeting. We are as concerned about the safety of your candidates, agents and supporters as we are about the security of our own officials, observers, journalists, service providers and, above all, the voters,” he said.

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