Having 37 election management bodies in Nigeria wasteful — Festus Okoye

A former National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barrister Festus Okoye has advocated incorporating state electoral commissions into INEC.

He also called for the creation of an Electoral Offences Commission to remove the burden of prosecuting electoral offenders from INEC.

Okoye made the calls in an interview with Daily Trust. He said it was wasteful to have 37 separate bodies conducting elections in the country.

Okoye said, “It is wasteful to have 37 electoral management bodies in Nigeria.

“It is rational, expeditious, and smart to integrate the SIECs into one central election management body for the country.

“This will eliminate staff duplication, duplication of election technology, and other election materials. It will improve and maintain standards and give hope to those who aspire for elective offices within the local government structure.”

He recalled that the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) of 2008 and the Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee (CERC) of April 2017 recommended jettisoning state electoral commissions.

“At present, it is better to integrate the functions of the SIECs into those of the INEC to form one central election management body for the country.

“The Commission (INEC) can handle the additional burden of conducting elections in 10,000 new constituencies.

“It is advisable to create an Electoral Offences Commission and divest the Commission of the burden of prosecuting electoral offenders.”