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Chijioke Edeoga, the Labor Party’s gubernatorial candidate in Enugu State’s 2023 election, is championing a crucial electoral reform that could revolutionize Nigeria’s democratic sphere.
He is calling on the Attorney General of the Federation to establish a legal framework that would entrust the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the responsibility of conducting local government elections.
By empowering INEC to oversee local government elections, Edeoga believes that the move would significantly enhance the transparency and credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process, fostering greater public trust and confidence in the system.
He stressed that the recent Supreme Court verdict granting independence to local governments will remain mere words on paper unless the 1999 Constitution is amended, a move that would unlock the true potential of decentralized governance and empower Nigerian communities.
In a statement released to the press on Tuesday, Edeoga, who had earlier praised the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on local government autonomy, urged lawmakers to take a bold step and excise Section 197(1)(b) from the Constitution, which established state-level INECs, and instead, amend Section 153(1) to empower the independent electoral body to oversee local government elections.
Edeoga highlighted that although the Supreme Court’s verdict was widely hailed, Nigerians remain astute to the fact that its potential impact would be significantly blunted without a corresponding legal framework that guarantees more inclusive and representative council elections.
As the Constitution is being reviewed and revised, Edeoga called for a targeted approach that prioritizes the amendment of a specific section that is pivotal to securing local government autonomy, leveraging the broad consensus that has coalesced around this issue in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
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“To this end, an Executive Bill to excise Section 197 1(b) of the Constitution which created the state Independence Electoral Commissions should be initiated by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation. Section 153 (1) which created the INEC should also be amended to fully vest the national elections management body with the powers to conduct elections to local government councils.
“Efforts should be made to isolate the sections relating to local government elections from the basket of other amendments that have been proposed to the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly and give it immediate attention to attain quick passage and Presidential assent”, he stated.
He appealed to both the Attorney General and the legislative arm of government to expedite action on this critical issue, ensuring a prompt return to responsible governance at the local level, a move that would have far-reaching benefits for Nigerian communities.
“Speed is of the essence, given that at least 22 of the 36 states currently run the local government areas in their respective states under undemocratic caretaker arrangements. This means that if the amendment is fast-tracked and approved by the President, elections in the local councils can be arranged to fall into a single calendar,” the Enugu State Labour Party leader stated.
Edeoga warned that the current scenario creates an environment where state governors can wield disproportionate influence over local government chairmen, perpetuating a cycle of undue control and manipulation, which is why swift action is imperative to prevent further erosion of local governance.
“Given the clear and present possibility that the intendment of the judgment which is transparency and accountability in the use of local government resources by duly elected officers of local governments might still be manipulated by governors in whose powers it still is to determine who gets elected as Chairmen of the councils.”
Edeoga reiterated the crucial position of local governments in Nigeria’s development architecture, arguing that the autonomy restored to elected officials would trigger a rural development revolution, the impact of which would be felt across the nation.
“Local government administration is to national political and infrastructure development what micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises are to national economic development – just as MSMEs represent the biggest employers of labour in most economies, council administration touches more lives on the aggregate than both states and federal government.
“In Nigeria for instance, where MSMEs are said to be capable of employing an equivalent of 84 per cent of the population, the 774 local government areas in the country, if granted full financial and administrative autonomy, will have the potential to not just employ more people than all the 36 state governments, but also spike the incubation and growth of more businesses at the grassroots level,” he said.
