Constitution Review: House Mulls Stripping SIEC of Power to Conduct LG Elections

*It’ll guarantee councils’ autonomy, says Wase

Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives has said it was considering stripping State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) the power to conduct local government elections in the ongoing constitutional review.

Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Ahmed Wase disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, when the International Republican Institute and Youth Leaders from all registered political parties paid him a courtesy visit, saying the review would guarantee the political and financial autonomy of Local Government administration in Nigeria.

He added that the House was considering empowering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) constitutional power to conduct local government elections in order to have uniform elections in the country.

“I want to inform you that what we are trying to do in the constitutional amendment is to make sure that the financial autonomy is there, the independence of the local government is there.

“We are trying to achieve that by all standards. In terms of the tenure, we are trying to take it away from the states and take it back to INEC so that we have a uniform system in terms of the election,” he said.

Wase said everyone was aware that prior to 1999, the country had a unified system and even after 1999, the tenure was three years, adding theatrical government autonomy was apt and the country had good governance.

He was of the view that 60 per cent of the challenges facing the country today would be resolved if there was good governance at the local government level, saying, “I want to believe that the President is with you on this 100 per cent. That is in tandem with what the present government wants to do in giving good governance at that level.”