A bill seeking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local government elections has reached the National Assembly.
The development comes amidst concerns over the transparency of grassroots elections in the country.
The bill was presented by the lawmaker representing Egbeda/Ona Ara Federal Constituency, Hon. Akin Alabi. The bill is tagged “Constitutional Amendment for Local Government Elections.”
This bill aims to transfer the responsibility of conducting local government elections from the State Independent Electoral Commissions to INEC.
Hon. Alabi explained that the bill is aimed at improving electoral transparency and consistency in electoral processes nationwide. He emphasized that INEC’s role in conducting free and fair elections will be strengthened by this move.
This development follows the National Assembly’s recent granting of full financial and administrative autonomy to all 774 local government councils across Nigeria by amending Section 124 of the nation’s constitution.