INEC Tells NASS ‘We’ve Capacity To Conduct Local Gov’t Elections’

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it has the capacity to conduct elections into the 774 local government area councils across the country.

The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he appeared before the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Electoral Matters, to brief lawmakers on the Commission’s preparations for the upcoming Edo and Ondo State governorship elections and its relationship with the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in relation to various court judgements.

Gentechnews gathered from pundits that since the Supreme Judgement of July 11, 2024, granting financial autonomy to local government areas in the country, there have been opposing views on whether SIECs should be scrapped to allow INEC to conduct local government elections in order to disengage LGAs from the control of State governors.

However, Prof. Yakubu, informed the lawmakers that the commission can conduct elections at the third tier of government in the 36 states if the National Assembly amend the 1999 Constitution, transferring the responsibility to INEC to conduct the exercise.

“The same Constitution that creates INEC also creates the State Electoral Commissions. So, it is up to the National Assembly to amend the law to transfer that responsibility to the INEC.

“If the responsibility for the conduct of local government election is transferred to INEC, can INEC cope? The answer is yes! INEC can cope. What are we? By definition, INEC is the Independent National Electoral Commission but right now we do national elections, we can do state elections, we do local government elections,” INEC chairman emphasized.