As Nigerians contemplate giving the conduct of local government councils election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stakeholders in Niger State at the weekend said the best way out is to grant absolute financial autonomy to State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).
The stakeholders spoke during a book launch titled “My Stewardship at Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (2017-2023): Electoral Process and Results of 2019 and 2022 Local Government elections in
Niger State “ authored by Comrade Ibrahim Aliyu Tungan Wawa.
Wawa, who was a commissioner at the State Independent Electoral Commission, lent his support to constitutional arrangements that would grant the state electoral bodies financial autonomy, adding that it was the only way to achieve free, fair, and credible elections at the local government level to guarantee grassroots development.
He reiterated the need for the state government to allow the local government council to function as an independent tier of government and bring the desired development to the people at the grassroots.
Also, the book reviewer, Yusuf Ahmed Doma, who is also the registrar of the Federal College of Education, Kontagora, tasked political stakeholders to ensure transparency at that level of election.
He asked everyone to work for good governance and transparency in the electoral processes at the local government to ensure effective mobilisation for rural development.
Most of the political parties representatives at the launch expressed concern over the funding of the state independent Electoral Commission before, during, and after local government elections, a situation they argued made the commission to be at the mercy of the state governors.
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