As the decapitation of the local government administration by rapacious political butchers at the corridors of power continues unchecked, stakeholders have expressed concern about this disturbing abnormality and how to put an end to it.
The local government areas in Nigeria are one of the three arms of government in the country, alongside the federal government and the state government. The local government areas are the closest to the people and are expected to undertake projects and programs that improve the lives of those at the grassroots level. Even though the constitution explicitly spells out responsibilities and obligations of every tier of government, local government areas have found it extremely difficult to carry out their constitutionally mandated duties to the people and this, to a large extent, is not their fault.
Over the years, the power and authority of the local government chairman have been considerably whittled down by the State government. Local government areas have become a political leverage which state governors use to consolidate Power instead of a tier of government that should cater to the needs and aspirations of the people. The undermining and bastardisation of the local government system in Nigeria are not unconnected to how chairmanship and councillorship elections are conducted.
The framers and drafters of the 1999 constitution vested power to conduct local government elections in state governments. This provision sounds fascinating on paper and makes for a good case and compelling argument for federalism but in a country where the mindset of winners take all is etched in the psyche of politicians, it is a dangerous concept. Nigerian politicians, especially governors who are saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government elections, lack the maturity, decorum, civility and liberalism to oversee free, fair and credible polls that would create a level playing ground for everyone participating, including political opponents who could emerge victorious and assume control of local government areas in their states or areas they believe are their stronghold.
So, what we call a local government election is nothing more than a sham and a charade designed to confer legitimacy on preselected and anointed chairmanship and councillorship candidates that emerge in an arrangement within the party of the governor. Opposition parties have little or no chance of winning local government elections, no matter how popular their candidates are, and even if the electorate votes for them. The result of this is troubling voter apathy during local government polls.
This is the situation that played out in the last local government elections in Lagos State. The election was embarrassingly shunned by the majority of Lagosians, including some opposition parties. In fact, many of those who took part are either members of the ruling party in the state or those benefiting from the government of the day. These people are eerily in the minority. The general mood was that there was no point taking part in an election, as the outcome had already been decided long before the ballots were cast.
Local government elections are no longer a test of the popularity and acceptance of the ruling party in a state, it is an avenue to impose the will of the incumbent governor and his party on the people. It is a potent tool to consolidate and concentrate power in the hands of one person: the governor. This has not only rendered council chairmen dormant and local government administration exceedingly weakened, but it has denied the people a reliable and efficient governance at the local level, hence making basic social amenities and infrastructural facilities elusive.
Furthermore, the control of local government areas is at the core of the political crisis that has engulfed Osun and Rivers State. Political actors, who were once governors but now serve in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu, see control of these councils as a way of maintaining their hold on their respective states and undermining their successors who will likely want to strengthen their government and consolidate power by uprooting and destroying the power base of their predecessors.
As the decapitation of the local government administration by rapacious political butchers at the corridors of power continues unchecked, stakeholders have expressed concern about this disturbing abnormality and how to put an end to it. One of the solutions suggested is to take away the power to conduct local government elections from the state-controlled electoral commissions and let the independent electoral commission (INEC) conduct them.
The proponents of this proposition argue that this will not only restore voter confidence in the electoral process of local government elections and put their destinies in their hands when it comes electing chairmen and councillors that will manage the affairs of the council but also ensure that trusted, tested, capable and competent hands emerge as chairmen and councillors of councils in a free, fair credible elections while in the process enhancing local local government autonomy and reduce governors interference in their activities.
The matter of INEC conducting council elections came up again on Thursday at the confirmation of the chairman of the commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, on Thursday. While fielding questions from the lawmakers, Amupitan said, though the commission has what it takes to conduct council elections, the exercise will place more burden on it.
While the reservations of Amupitan are understood and should not be dismissed, the concern of INEC being burdened is an issue that can easily be resolved. Already, practically all the sensitive materials currently used by the State electoral commission for council elections are produced by INEC. What will be required is to make slight adjustments and modifications to the existing council elections process to make it more credible and voter-friendly.
Also, the polls for the 774 local government areas do not have to be held on the same day across the federation. The election can be spread out across a period of one month and be conducted by geopolitical zones. For instance, the commission can fix council elections for the South West and North East for one weekend, while those of the South East and the North West are held the following weekend. This will help address the challenges of logistics and manpower that may accompany such a huge election.
If we are truly desirous of creating a system of local government that prioritises the people and addresses their plight and suffering, then we must ensure that council elections are taken away from State governors. Though INEC’s actions regarding its conduct of the recent gubernatorial elections are not exactly inspiring and leave much to be desired, it is still a saint when compared to the contemptible state electoral commissions. It is a far better option than the ineffective and rubber-stamp state electoral commissions, which are nothing more than a plaything of the governors.
Amupitan spoke about council elections being a burden to INEC. He must also know that the existing arrangement is a burden on the people at the grassroots, and the best way to ease or completely lift this burden is for him and his men to give the people the opportunity to pick their leader. This can be done.
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