Two weeks after the Supreme Court granted financial autonomy to local governments (LGs) in Nigeria, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has declared that the electoral umpire is capable of successfully conducting LG elections if saddled with the responsibility by law.
The INEC chief made this known when he appeared before a Joint National Assembly Committee on Electoral Matters to present the Ondo and Edo off-cycle elections budget on Thursday.
He, however, raised the question of funding for their by-elections in the country.
State governments currently organise LG elections in their respective domains with the ruling parties in states sweeping the chairmanship seats of all local councils, a development kicked against by opposition parties.
Mahmood explained that the commission, which currently conducts hitch-free elections in the 62 wards in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area councils in addition to national and state government positions, can conveniently conduct the same across the 774 local government areas with the amendments of certain provisions of the electoral laws.
For the September 21, 2024, Edo governorship poll and the November 16, 2024, Ondo governorship election, the INEC boss urged Nigerians to appreciate the tremendous technological improvements of the commission.
He ruled out frequent malfunctions of the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal that characterised the 2023 presidential election, maintaining that the commission has learnt its lessons.
He further explained that the commission has no fears regarding the funding for off-cycle elections, as the executive has pledged to release funds for the seven by-elections before the commission.
Again, Mahmood appealed to the lawmakers to speedily pass the Electoral Offenders Bill under the current Assembly to empower the commission with the capacity and resources to effect arrests, thoroughly investigate electoral offences and mitigate electoral malfeasance.
