CSO urges electorates to reawaken consciousness on LG elections

Akpan Umoh, Uyo

Yiaga Africa, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) in Nigeria has urged electorates at the grassroots to be aware of issues about local government elections by not just voting at the polls but participating fully in the governance process.

The Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reforms, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, on Saturday, gave the charge during an Advocacy Roundtable on Legislative Reform for Improved Local Government Elections in Akwa Ibom.

The chairman partners for electoral reforms said that local government elections have not been accorded the right attention they deserved as the closest government to the people.

Nwagwu, in his Keynote Address tagged, “Local Government Elections: A Necessity for Democratic Development,” described local government elections as an important tool for the deepening of democracy.

He, however, said that such was almost illusory as local government elections have been allegedly “ambushed” by the governors, thereby making the party in power to take it all.

He called on other CSOs and the media to intensify efforts in carrying out voter and civic education at the grassroots so that people will be conscious of governance vis-a-vis budgets of the local government. 

“There is no critical questioning of issues of governance within the local government level. Budget is made at the local government level but no one seems to question how these are done. 

“There should be deeper consciousness of sub-national elections so that there will be full participation. Crimes will reduce when local governments work and function optimally. 

“Where we should learn democracy is at the sub-national level but it’s difficult because of the ambush of that structure by the chief executive of the states.

“The ruling party of that state takes about 97 per cent of the vote cast in LG election even the opposition parties are not even interested in going to court,” Nwagwu said.

Also in her presentation, Mrs Cynthia Mbamalu, said election is not just a political process but a human rights issue that legible voters should exercise.

Mbamalu said that Akwa Ibom is one of the states taking the lead in reviewing its State Electoral Law.

She explained that the last electoral act enables financial autonomy for INEC and the same should be applied to SIEC to enable the body to function optimally.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, (AKSIEC) Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, blamed the limitations of local government elections on loopholes in the constitution.

Ikoiwak queried why the constitution was silent on the required tenure of the council chairmen unlike the president at the national level and the governors at the state level.

He said that instead of calls to scrap the State Independent Electoral Commission, efforts should be made to strengthen it for the development and workability of the local government.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Mrs Safiya Bichim of Yiaga Africa urged the CSOs to look out for the factors restricting citizens’ participation in elections and tinker with ways of addressing them by reawakening their interests through vigorous voter education.