The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, has joined the league of agitators for the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission.
Speaking on Wednesday at the INEC Quarterly Consultative Meeting with the Media, Isiguzo said giving the responsibility of conducting local council elections to the INEC “will ensure uniformity, credibility, and efficiency in the electoral process.”
Check revealed that the National Chairman of the forum of existing political parties in the country, the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, had on Monday called for the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), urging the National Assembly to transfer the responsibility to INEC.
The IPAC National Chairman dismissed local government elections conducted by SIECs as a mockery of democratic ethos and practices.
The NUJ President, who commended the fiscal autonomy granted the local councils by virtue of the Supreme Court judgement, equally called for an amendment of the Constitution to empower INEC to conduct elections for local governments across the country.
He said, “I would also like to take this opportunity to weigh in on a significant recent development—the Supreme Court judgement that granted full autonomy to local government administrations. This landmark ruling is a major stride towards strengthening our democracy at the grassroots level. Local governments are the closest tier of government to the people, and their autonomy is crucial for effective governance and development.
“However, for this autonomy to be truly conclusive and impactful, there is a need for constitutional amendments by the National Assembly. Specifically, the relevant sections of the constitution should be amended to empower INEC to conduct elections for local governments across the country. Currently, INEC enjoys constitutional authority to conduct national and sub-national elections. Extending this authority to include the third tier of government will ensure uniformity, credibility, and efficiency in the electoral process.
‘In light of this, the proposal to create an Independent Local Government Electoral Commission is, in my view, unnecessary. Establishing a separate body for local government elections could lead to redundancy, increased bureaucracy, and potential conflicts of interest. Instead, leveraging INEC’s established framework, experience, and resources would be a more efficient and effective approach to managing local government elections.”
In his opening remarks, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who assured the gathering of senior journalists of adequate security for media personnel ahead of the off-season governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, restated his admonition that journalists should be factual in their reportage of election coverage.
He said, “We are as concerned about the safety of your personnel and equipment as we are about the security of our own officials, observers, service providers, and, above all, the voters.
“We will also work with the security agencies to ensure that accredited journalists are granted unimpeded access to all voting and collation locations.
“At the same time, I wish to remind you of your obligation as journalists to report factually and accurately about the election and electoral activities in compliance with the ethics of your noble profession. You should continue to be a bulwark against fake news, misinformation and disinformation. I urge you to fully comply with the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage.”
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