LG election: Why Senate shouldn’t establish new electoral body – Activist

A human rights activist,Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman has urged the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly to stop ongoing new Bill for creating of new electoral body for the conduct of the Local Government Election Nigeria.

While urging the Senate to strengthen the current nation’s electoral body with more responsobilities of conducting Local Govt election as it has been doing in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Comrade Sulaiman stated that this call has become imperative to avoid wasting of meagre resources of Nigeria for duplication of duties while there was an existing national electoral body that could be strengthened to perform such duty without wasting of another resources of the nation.

It will be recalled last week that a Bill for the establishment of National Independent Local Government Electoral Commission, NILGEC, has scaled first reading in Senate and the proposed new electoral body will be saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections for the exisisting 774 Local Government in Nigeria.

The Bill which titled as, “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024 (SB. 531)”, was sponsored by Chairman, Committee on  Finance, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East).

The said Bill, if scale the Senate approval, the proposed NILGEC shall consist of Chairperson and six commissioners, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate and  they would serve for a term of five years, renewable once.
Sulaiman, who is Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), maintained that deduced from the Bill,it would be seen that new resources of the country would be committed to such an avoidable venture of creating new electoral body for the conduct of Local Government election 

In a statement issued by the CHRSJ Media Office,signed by Comrade Sulaiman and copies were made available to newsmen on Tuesday, stressed that establishment of new electoral body would amount to wastage and impunity, in the face of current financial quagmire facing the country with dwindling economy situation presently.

He further stressed that formation of new electoral body in the face of implementation of Oronsaye Report, would tantamount to anti-people, abnormality, and misplacement of priority.
The activist urged President Tinubu not to assent to such a bill if brought before him but to encourage the Lawmakers to legislate on how to strengthen the INEC to perform its responsiblities including conduct of Local Government election without fear or favour.

His words:”Since the State Government took over the conduct of Local Government Election,they have killed the morale of local government administration in Nigeria in term of even development,uniformity and the leadership training ground for the people at the grassroot.

“Posterity would remember President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for good if he achieves financial and electoral autonomy for the Local Government in Nigeria and history will be kind to him for return the past glory of the local government administration in Nigeria”.

Sulaiman therefore, salute the courage of the members of the Senate for trying to raise the bar of Local Government autonomy through the independent electoral body by urging them to also legislate to strenghten the INEC to be more independent in conducting of credible and generally acceptable election in Nigeria.