LG’s Election: A Kangaroo Exercise, by Nurudeen Dauda

To start with, Free, Fair, and Credible election in Nigeria is a major challenge at all levels. It is sad to note that the conduct of elections at local governments levels by the State Independent Electoral Commissions are the “worst” form of elections being conducted in the country. The ongoing “ugly trend” is that any state governed by APC or PDP or APGA or LP and or NNPP at LG elections are often being won 100% by the party. This is our sad reality!

For a very long time ago now our governors have been exploiting some “lacunas” in our 1999 constitution by appointing “Caretaker committees” instead of conducting elections for LGs chairmen. In states where elections were held; they were often Kangaroo exercises.

The Supreme Court has now interpreted section 162 of our constitution which now mandated Direct Monthly Revenue Allocation to only LGs with elected officials . Prior to the judgement, majority of our LGs from across the states of the Federation are being governed by Caretaker Committees; our states are now in a “race” to replace Caretaker Committees with elected officials in order to avoid the possibility of withholding allocations to their LGs. It baffles me to note that elections into the chairmanships of our LGs are still the usual Kangaroo exercises.

It is “unheard” of and or “unthinkable” even in the so-called advanced democracies of the world to have a “scenario” where all contested seats in an election are won by a “single” political party as it does happen in our LGs elections. Election is the “bedrock” of democracy as well as the primary source of legitimacy; it affords citizens the opportunity to have a say on who governs them.

It is quite unfortunate that we now often celebrate electoral “fraud” at the grassroot level in the name of LGs elections. This will not take us to the promise land! For as long as elections are not “credible” at the LGs levels the much talk about financial autonomy granted to the LGs through the 11th July, 2024 Supreme Court judgement will only mean “little” or “nothing” to LGs administrations. States governors will continue to “plant” and or “imposed” their “stooges” as LGs chairmen via our usual “Kangaroo” LGs elections for “kickbacks” of LGs funds .

All hands must be on deck towards credible elections at all levels in our dear country as a necessary “ingredient” for Good Governance; credible elections often make leaders accountable and responsible. We must not settle at anything less than credible elections as the most important tool for achieving Good Governance.

It is apt to state that from the year 2011 elections under Prof. Attahiru Jega to date INEC has witnessed significant improvements in the conduct of its elections owning to the “adoption” of technology. In the 2015 general elections, Card-read technology was exploited by politicians for lack of legal backing and in the 2023 general elections, INEC Result Viewing (IREV) technology was also exploited for same reason.

In my thought, the best way to “improve” our elections at all levels is to embrace modern technology “wholeheartedly”. This will certainly “minimize” human manipulations in our electoral process. The use of technology should and or must be made “compulsory” by both INEC and State Independent Electoral commissions. For us to get it right, we also need electoral offences commission with a “Special Court” for trial of electoral offenders. There must be severe punishments for electoral offenders in our dear country in order to serve as a “deterrent” to would be offenders.

For the Local government administration in Nigeria to improve we must critically re-examine the following sections of our constitution: Section 162 sub-section (6), Section 7 sub-section 6 (b), Section 197 sub- section (1), The 5th Schedule of the 1999 constitution of the 1999 constitution as amended among others.

May God bless Nigeria!