The roundtable included representatives from major political parties, civil society organisations, government officials, legislators, media, and the state electoral commission.
Electoral stakeholders have converged in Kaduna State to discuss ways to improve local government elections.
The convergence, the third in a series under the CSO-Led Advocacy and Engagement for Model SIECs project, with previous meetings held in Akwa Ibom and Lagos States, was organised by electoral observer group YIAGA Africa.
According to YIAGA Africa, the project aims to boost public confidence in subnational elections by fostering state-independent electoral commissions’ independence, resilience, and capacity (SIECs). Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) is one of the three model SIECs involved in the project.
The roundtable included representatives from major political parties, civil society organisations, government officials, legislators, media, and the state electoral commission.
At the meeting, Dr Asmau Maikudi, a member of Yiaga Africa’s Elections Working Group, emphasised in her opening remarks the importance of the local government system as a fundamental part of Nigeria’s governance structure.
“How an electoral system operates goes a long way in determining the degree of public confidence and support for the democratic system. However, under some conditions, local governments cannot claim legitimacy, and this raises questions about their democratic credentials,” she said.
“Local government elections, among other things, are expected to confer legitimacy and create a conducive environment for accountable and effective local government in Nigeria,” Dr Maikudi added.
During a talk on the challenges and prospects of local government elections in Kaduna State, Cynthia Mbamalu, the Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, highlighted that transparency in local government administration is essential.
“However, some governors conduct local government elections only when they deem it necessary. Lack of accountability and undue interference by state governors and legislators inhibits the responsiveness of local councils to their communities and people,” she lamented.
She emphasised the need for legislation to prevent state governments from preventing local governments from flourishing.
Stakeholders sue for improved electoral process
Also, the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, MrIbrahim Sambo, restated the state’s commitment to upholding the tenets of democracy, adding that the state was the first to use electronic voting in LGA elections.
Mrs Saratu Binta Dikko, Chairperson of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), explained the lack of funds to conduct elections is a major constraint affecting the effectiveness of SIECs in the state to conduct elections.
Bako Abdul Usman, National President of Campaign for Democracy, believes that civil society organisations should educate and sensitise citizens on the importance of local government elections.
Hon.Ahmed Tijjani Mustapha, Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC), called on the need for political parties to deepen their internal democracy and also call for equal representation in the conduct of local elections, not political settlements.
