Conduct Council Poll to Strengthen Governance, Rights Group Urges States

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The Nigerian Human Rights Community (NIHRCO) has advised state governments yet to conduct local government elections to do so without delay in a bid to strengthen governance at the grassroots.

The advice was contained in a statement issued by the Programme Officers of NHRCO, Fred Ojinika and Taiwo Adeleye in Ado Ekiti, shortly after the conduct of local government elections in Ekiti State.

The group stated that Nigeria faces internal threats to democracy and growing concerns about of public trust, explaining that it is important to deepen democracy and strengthen governance at the grassroots.

NIHRCO, which monitored the election in 177 wards  of the state, is a coalition of 135 civil society and community-based groups spread across the country and was established in 2003.

 The rights group however pointed out certain challenges that it said should be urgently addressed in future local government elections.

NIHRCO said a comprehensive report on the election is being put together which will be distributed across democratic institutions at home and abroad on lessons learnt and the challenges.

“‘The local government election was not perfect, but it represented a remarkable achievement in building sustainable democratic culture in Nigeria’’ the group said.

The group called on the National Assembly to create special intervention funds to assist State Electoral Commissions (SECs) to meet democratic obligations in line with the fiscal support given by the federal government to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

It  commended the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) for early arrival of materials and effective administration of the entire process that had almost zero hitches.

The coalition said: ‘’At this time that Nigeria faces internal threats to democracy and growing concerns about of public trust, it is important to deepen democracy and strengthen governance at the grassroots.

“The National Assembly and INEC need to work with the state commissions to ensure that Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) are deployed in local elections,” the organisation noted.

NIHRCO said the election had its own strength, opportunities and shortcomings that should be addressed to deepen democracy and people’s representation at the grassroots.

The group said Nigerians should be encouraged to show interest in local government elections, adding that if Nigeria gets it right at the local government level, it will be easier to conduct credible elections at the national level.