On Thursday, Yiaga Africa convened a roundtable discussion of election stakeholders to reflect on the quality of local government elections in Nigeria, explore the challenges with the elections and proffer ways to improve their credibility. The roundtable comes on the heels of a spate of local government elections as a result of July 2024 Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy; since the ruling which stated that only democratically elected local government councils can receive federal allocations, 17 states have held local government elections.
The event, which was supported by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) gathered representatives from State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), local government officials, civil society organizations (CSOs), academics, researchers, and international partners focused on democracy, governance, and elections.
In his opening remarks, Yiaga Africa’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, noted that the roundtable was prompted by a recent Supreme Court decision granting financial autonomy to local governments. He highlighted a significant uptick in local government elections since the judgment, with October being a “super month” for elections, as over nine states have scheduled polls, marking the first time in over a decade that more than 30 states are set to democratically elect their local councils.
Mr. Itodo emphasized the importance of retaining SIECs while underscoring the need to enhance their operational and financial autonomy, which is currently lacking.
The general consensus among the participants was that of concerns over the increasing trend of vote allocation, predictable outcomes, and the dominance of ruling parties in local government elections.
Barr. Jossy Eze, Chairman of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC), expressed frustration that while SIECs are constitutionally guaranteed independence, they lack financial autonomy, often requiring external funding to fulfill their mandate.
“SIEC is a body given the authority to make rules and regulations for the proper execution of her mandate but is denied administrative rights to hire, control and discipline staff under her. They have guaranteed five years of tenure, but are easily dissolved because a new face has appeared in Government House. The list of the unfortunate situations seem endless.”
The roundtable also featured a panel session on insights and lessons from recent local government elections, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Ejembi Eko. Panelists included SIEC chairpersons from Plateau, Benue, Delta, and Adamawa, as well as the Acting Chair from Bauchi and the Commissioner of Legal Matters from the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIEC).
The gathering served as an opportunity for stakeholders to reflect on the challenges and explore strategies to bolster the credibility and independence of local government elections in Nigeria.
The roundtable was also an opportunity for Yiaga Africa to present its preliminary report on local government elections in Nigeria, “A Travesty of Electoral Democracy?”. The report highlights the current challenges surrounding these elections and addresses critical issues in public and policy discourse. It also looks at how the character and outcomes of these elections underscore key topics for further discussion, particularly focusing on electoral reforms.
