The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, has called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions, insisting that the Independent National Electoral Commission should be solely responsible for conducting elections at all levels in Nigeria.
Dantalle made the call during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, describing the proposal as part of IPAC’s submissions to INEC in its push for comprehensive electoral reforms.
“Many recommendations were made by Nigerians. But the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), in particular, some of our recommendations include the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) so that INEC conducts all elections at all levels,” the IPAC chairman said on the programme.
Referencing council elections conducted by INEC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dantalle noted that “no political party takes it all.”
“But for all the elections conducted at the state by SIEC, the sitting governor of that state determines who becomes what. There is no contest so this has to change and this is largely responsible for some of the socio-economic ills in the country,” he said.
He explained that the current system deprives citizens of the opportunity to elect credible leaders at the grassroots level.
“Nigerians are not allowed to vote the people, or they do not have the opportunity to vote the people that they really know and trust to rule them at the councillorship and local government chairmanship level.
“This must change so it’s an appeal to all of us to come together to make this country democratic space better,” he said.
Dantalle acknowledged that there “are bad elements” within INEC, but maintained that this does not diminish the overall role and impact of the electoral body.
“We have also been urging the Independent National Electoral Commission to fish out the bad elements in INEC found wanting in the anomalies in the electoral process and get them prosecuted,” the IPAC chairman said.
He added that IPAC was also calling on the National Assembly to act on reform proposals put forward by stakeholders.
“Also, we are urging the National Assembly to look into the recommendations, proposals made by all stakeholders in respect of the constitution and their electoral act amendment,” he said.
