The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has affirmed the commission’s readiness to conduct local government elections nationwide if provided with the necessary resources.
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He made this statement on Thursday while addressing the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters.
Responding to inquiries from committee members about INEC’s stance on the Supreme Court’s verdict regarding financial autonomy for local governments, Yakubu acknowledged discussions about either unbundling INEC or creating a new federal agency specifically for conducting council polls.
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However, he asserted that INEC has the capacity, competence, and experience to manage local government elections across Nigeria’s 774 councils.
Yakubu supported his claim by citing INEC’s successful conduct of elections in the six Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils, as well as its frequent handling of off-season and bye-elections.
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He emphasized that INEC’s consistent execution of federal and state elections demonstrates its capability to oversee council polls.
Yakubu stated, “If this responsibility for conducting local government elections is transferred to INEC, can INEC cope? The answer is yes, INEC can cope. By definition, INEC is the Independent National Electoral Commission. Right now, we handle national elections, state elections, and local government elections.”
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He further explained, “A national electoral commission might be expected to implement only presidential and National Assembly elections. However, we also conduct governorship elections, state assembly elections, and area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory. Our track record proves that we can do it. In the FCT, there are six area councils, 62 wards, and councillorship elections. This is one part of the country where INEC has conducted local government elections regularly, ensuring stability and security of tenure.”
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Yakubu noted that no single political party has dominated the FCT, with the six chairmen evenly split between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He highlighted that the FCT councils comprise both urban and rural communities, demonstrating INEC’s experience in conducting elections nationwide.
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He further stated, “In terms of capacity, we can do it, we have been doing it in the Federal Capital Territory. However, if the National Assembly decides to amend the constitution, we need to engage with them for certain amendments to handle additional responsibilities. For instance, will the Federal Government fund the elections for state and local governments?”
Yakubu also mentioned that there is a proposition for a new federal electoral commission for local government elections.
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Some argue against state electoral commissions conducting local government elections in the spirit of federalism but should improve their conduct.
He reminded the committee that the current constitution creates both INEC and state-independent electoral commissions.
Thus, it is up to the National Assembly to amend the law to transfer that responsibility to INEC.
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He reaffirmed, “If that is done, can INEC cope? Yes, we can.”
Yakubu suggested that while INEC should not be unbundled beyond its electoral activities, some responsibilities could be handled by other agencies.
This point has been made by various committees since 2008, including the Justice Mohammed Uwais Commission.
He assured the joint panel that the commission had made adequate arrangements for the two off-cycle elections in Edo and Ondo States.
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He also noted that INEC had prepared budgets for outstanding by-elections in seven federal and state legislative constituencies.
Additionally, he explained that the agency’s 2024 Budget is being adequately funded by the Ministry of Finance, with monthly releases of N23.3bn out of the N40bn appropriated for the year.
Daily Gazette recalls that the last local government elections conducted by INEC were on December 5, 1998.
