From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Delegates at the 13th National Delegates’ Conference of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) in Jos, supported by the European Union’s Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme, have advocated for reforms to strengthen State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
They emphasised enhancing financial and administrative autonomy to ensure credible local elections, rejecting proposals to abolish SIECs or transfer their duties to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang argued that the focus should be on improving leadership recruitment, stating, “The conversation should begin with how we recruit leaders in this country. We must develop a strategy that helps us identify individuals who genuinely have the people’s interest at heart. Bad governance does not just undermine democracy. It leads to underdevelopment and the waste of public resources.” He added, “Autonomy is masking the real issues. What we need to focus on is efficiency.”
Similarly, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule pledged support for conference outcomes, offering his state as a pilot for proposed reforms. He said, “I hope, at the end of this conference, FOSIECON delegates will come up with actionable solutions. Many governors will be willing to support those efforts. I offer Nasarawa State for any pilot initiatives that may be proposed.”
In his keynote address, Professor Samuel Egwu supported retaining and reforming SIECs, stating, “There are three pathways that have been suggested for how to deal with issues around elections at the local government level. One is to say there is nothing wrong with SIECs; all that is needed is reform. That is the position I support.”
He argued, “I support the retention and strengthening of SIECs because we operate a federal system of government.” Egwu dismissed transferring local elections to INEC or creating a new bureau as misaligned with federalism.
Furthermore, FOSIECON Chairman Jossy Eze criticised bills in the National Assembly that seek to abolish SIECs without addressing their challenges, saying, “It is public knowledge that there are bills currently before the National Assembly, some seeking the abolition of SIECs, others proposing the establishment of new election management bodies, or the transfer of SIECs’ mandate.”
INEC representative Dr Oliver Agundu urged SIECs to treat elections as continuous processes, stating, “SIECs should not treat the conduct of elections as isolated events. Elections are a process that includes post-election activities.”