By Perpetua Onuegbu
Dr Gabriel Nwambu, Director-General, Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness (CCLCA), has advocated scrapping State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to ensure credible local government elections.
Nwambu made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said scrapping the state electoral bodies and transferring the power to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would check interference by state governors in the conduct of local government council elections.
According to him, when this is achieved, the financial autonomy granted the local government through the Supreme Court ruling will be meaningful.
“We have been advocating that elections in Nigeria be conducted in one day including local government elections, House of Assembly, Governorship, House of Reps, Senate elections and presidential elections.
“If this is done, we are going to bring better transparency, better credibility and massive voters’ participation in the general elections’’, he told NAN.
Nwambu said since the return of democracy in 1999, the country has not witnessed more than 47 per cent voter turnout in our elections.
He blamed that on poor mobilisation, adding that if all elections were conducted in one day, it would build the trust of the people, make elections more credible with massive turn out of electorate.
He advised Nigerians to hold their council officials accountable, saying that would enhance rapid development at the grassroots.
Nwambu said with the development local government authorities would could to provide infrastructure at the grassroots.
“Local government authorities should be able to pay the teachers in primary schools and attend to other infrastructure development in their areas,” he said. ” Nwambu said. (NAN)