The Nigerian Senate has proposed a new bill to establish the National Independent Local Government Electoral Commission (NILGEC), which would be in charge of conducting elections for the positions of Local Government Chairman and Councillors as well as any other local government election-related matters, in an effort to increase transparency in local elections. Bill Sani Musa, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, sponsored the “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024 (SB. 531),” which has passed the first reading in plenary.
As an independent body, the National Independent Local Government Electoral Commission is tasked with organizing, supervising, and conducting free, fair, and transparent elections for the positions of Local Government Chairman and Councillor across all federation states. Establishing the electoral framework, overseeing election administration, and resolving any electoral disputes within local governments (LG) would fall under the purview of the commission. The purpose of its establishment is to fortify local governance and improve democratic processes in Nigeria.
Administrative and legislative reforms would be necessary.
Primary objective of NILGEC is to guarantee equity and openness in local governance across all LG districts by centralizing and standardizing the administration of their elections. To lessen political influence, the commission ought to optimally function independently of state governments. It would be devoted to local elections and have its own staff, resources, and infrastructure. Significant administrative and legislative reforms would be necessary to implement the framework. Given the deeply ingrained political interests at the state level, ensuring its independence and efficacy may prove difficult.
Successful implementation of the new bill has the potential to increase public trust in LG, boost electoral integrity, and strengthen democracy at the grassroots level. The concept is seen as part of a comprehensive measure to improve the standard of democracy and implement electoral reform. Nigerian LG elections have always been marred by acts of violence, deceit, and anomalies. Local elections are currently supervised by state Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), a system that has frequently been criticized for corruption, lacking accountability and autonomy, and compromising electoral integrity.
Guaranteeing the commission’s independence is essential.
Existing issues such as electoral fraud, increase integrity and public participation in local election could be curb by a well operating NILGEC. It also has the potential to enhance democracy at the local level by offering a more dependable electoral process. Advocates contend that centralizing local election administration would help to combat several existing problems. However, political players and state governments that stand to gain from the existing quo may oppose the implementation of NILGEC. Two important issues to consider are avoiding administrative bottlenecks and guaranteeing the commission’s independence. Problems with Finance and Logistics can reduce its efficacy.
This new bill proposal comes on the heels of increasing advocacy to treat the LG as the third tier of government and strengthen its autonomy. Prominent political figures, Civil Society organizations, and LG groups all advocated for reforms to strengthen local governments’ autonomy. Subsequently, the Supreme Court upheld the financial autonomy of all 774 local governments in Nigeria last week. The Court’ seven-member panel affirmed the federal government’s Lawsuit to ensure local governments’ independence nationwide in a unanimous ruling.
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In addition, the court ruled that only a democratically elected local administration council is recognized and that a state government has no authority to designate a caretaker committee. Currently, plans are underway in about 13 states to organize LG polls, while some have already conducted their election. Local governments areas without democratically elected officials may not yet receive their monthly allocation till they comply with the ruling. Officials from the Federal Accounts and Allocation Committee, along with other relevant agencies, are working to put the ruling into action.