By Ezrel Tabiowo Abuja
Senate, yesterday voted to guarantee democratically constituted local government councils through elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a proposal targeted at stripping state governments of power to control polls at thegrassroots. Currently, the Nigerian 1999 Constitution empowers the states to constitute State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIEC) for the conduct of local government elections. Senate now sought to alter the Constitution to abrogate SIECs, thereby giving INEC further powers to conduct local council polls.
Th is was the 33rd item on the Fourth Constitution Alteration Bill passed by the Senate yesterday. In the original report on the Alteration Bill presented by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, there were 32 items, but Dino Melaye, APCKogi, moved for the addition of the 33rd item, which is the proposal to abrogate SIECS, when the report was under consideration on Tuesday. Melaye said nothing could be said of local government autonomy if states were not stripped of powers to constitute SIECs for local polls, citing alleged partiality of the SIECs. However, Kehinde Ayoola, a former Speaker of Oyo state House of Assembly and National Financial Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, described the proposal as “a setback” and “antithesis of true federalism
