Stakeholders in Ebonyi have called for a constitutional amendment to scrap State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and return conduct of local government elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They made the call in separate interviews with journalists on Thursday in Abakaliki, stressing that the measure would strengthen the process, guarantee credibility, transparency and grassroots inclusion.

The stakeholders, while assessing the conduct of council polls across states of the federation, frowned at the level of compromise and alleged lack of credibility in the conduct of LG polls.

Ejiofor Ndukwe, a former councillor and legislative leader of Ivo Local Government Area, alleged that governors had turned SIECs into appendages of their offices.

“SIECs can never, will never and shall never conduct credible, free, fair and transparent elections as long as governors retain control over them. The problem is not about funding or incompetence; it is inherent in the structure.

“Governors dictate for the commissions; they often handpick councillors and chairmen through SIEC-organised polls, leaving the people without a voice.

“I suggest that councils be given autonomy and their elections returned to INEC,” Mr Ndukwe said.

Egwu Oguguo, a lecturer at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), said that SIECs were originally conceived as instruments of political patronage.

“Individuals lobby seriously to be appointed to the commissions, and when such individuals get the appointment, the outcome is usually predetermined,” Mr Oguguo said.

Mr Oguguo, who is also chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi chapter, maintained that the only way to strengthen grassroots democracy was to revert to the previous practice whereby INEC conducted local government elections.

Also speaking, Ngozi Ogbodo, a women’s rights activist, described the present arrangement as “a mockery of democracy at the grassroots” and called for the immediate scrapping of SIECs.

“Council elections under SIECs have always been a one-party affair where the ruling party sweeps all seats.

“Women and other vulnerable groups are further sidelined because the process is predetermined,” she said.

Emmanuel Okorie, a civil society advocate, stressed that lack of credible council elections eroded development at the grassroots.

“When leaders emerge through imposition, they are accountable only to the governor who endorsed them and not to the people.

“Until INEC is given back the mandate, local government will remain a puppet tier of government,” Mr Okorie said.

Similarly, Chukwuma Nwite, a political science lecturer at the Ebonyi State University (EBSU), described SIEC as “a constitutional aberration” that gave excessive powers to governors.

“If we are serious about grassroots development, council polls should be handled by INEC to inspire public trust,” Mr Nwite said.

Local government elections were last conducted by INEC in 1998 before a Supreme Court ruling vested the responsibility in state-controlled electoral commissions.

(NAN)