Ahead of the Kaduna state local government elections slated for October 19, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has opposed the reversal to manual voting by Kaduna state Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM).
Addressing a joint press conference, Mr. Laurence Obeweh, the Founder/National Coordinator of ReSET Nigeria and Mr. Bako Abdul, the National President of Campaign for Democracy on behalf of other CSO’s also expressed deep concern over the proposed scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECOMs) and the plans to centralise Local Government (LG) elections either under a new centralised body at the federal level or the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as being proposed.
They stressed that the move contradicted the principles of true and fiscal federalism and meaningful electoral reform, and would likely further erode citizens’ trust and confidence in the electoral process.
They explained that the Justice Uwais report on electoral reform which recommended the unbundling of INEC is a testament to the assertion, for decentralised and specialised institutions to manage different aspects of the electoral process.
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They then called on the FG and National Assembly to leverage the constitution amendment process to strengthen SIECOMs by ensuring their financial autonomy and operational independence saying, “It is crucial for conducting free, fair, and credible LG elections that will reflect the popular will of the people.”
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