A former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), George Moghalu, says state electoral commissions have failed to conduct independent and unbiased elections to aid the autonomy of local governments in the country.
Moghalu was a guest on a television programme on Sunday.
He said despite the ruling of the apex court granting autonomy to the third tier of government, the electoral system that brings LG chairmen into office needed to be addressed.
The ex-National Auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who recently resigned his membership from the ruling party, said governance must be de-emphasised for Nigerians to get the dividends of democracy, even at the grassroots.
Moghalu said, “We must de-emphasise it from the centre; some sub-nationals have a role to play. States have critical roles to play, and local governments have critical roles to play.
“That is why some of us were very excited when the Supreme Court gave that judgement giving some autonomy to the local governments but has not addressed the issue for that control to be fully operational.
“We must address the electoral process that throws up the leaders of those local governments because what we have today are SIECs (State Independent Electoral Commissions) that are creations of the states and controlled by the states.
“SIECs as presently constituted have failed, by my assessment. And if that has failed, what is the option if not the centre?
“Show me a state where SIEC conducted an election and the party of the governor did not win all the local governments including all councillor seats. So the purpose is defeated.”
He argued that if Nigerians get good governance at the local and state government levels, there won’t be pressure on the Federal Government.
He said that the political class has not justified the confidence reposed in them by the people. “The political class needs to come to reality,” he said, adding that the hardship in the land is “worrisome”.
About 15 states have announced or held local government elections in the last two months since the Supreme Court granted financial autonomy to the third tier of government, ordering the Federal Government to pay the 20.60% monthly allocation of the 774 LGs in the country directly to their exclusive accounts and not to accounts controlled by governors.
The apex court in the landmark judgement in July also barred power-drunk governors from dissolving democratically elected local government councils.
Peoplesmind
