There have been rash of local government elections across the country. The rush in conducting local government poll is a fallout of the Supreme Court judgment on autonomy for that tier of government.
From party primaries to the elections proper, it has been one sham after another. In what has become evident of one template, the ruling parties in the respective states are sweeping the polls with the opposition parties clutching at nothing, not even straws.
The local government ought to be closet to the people and offer the first port of call for governance. Regrettable, it has become an incubation ground for mediocrity and stooges.
Governors hand over the council areas to their acolytes and there is little that happens there except when they monthly allocation lands from Abuja.
With the apex court ruling enforcing autonomy by direct allocations to the council areas, it has emerged that state governors are working to subvert the ruling and see how they can install their handpicked lackeys who in turn will hand over the allocations to them for their usual rape.
In view of the criminal elections in the states, the Senate on Thursday, October 10, 2024 condemned the processes in many states for chairmen and councillors describing them as sham and rape of democracy.
It consequently vowed to do the needful about the charade for survival of democracy in Nigeria through required constitution amendments.
Condemnation of local government elections by the Senate followed a motion sponsored by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) on local government election conducted in Benue State last Saturday which he described as a sham.
Seconding the motion, Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North East) said although he is a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he can’t support what is wrong, adding: “This is not a party matter; there was no election in Benue state.”
It is not just about Benue state, rather Anambra, Plateau, Imo, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Delta and wherever elections have held.
In Akwa Ibom, though the PDP had a clean sweep, it however stood decency, logic and credibility of the whole elections when it ceded the local government of the Senate President Godswill Akpabio to him.
The implication is that elections barely hold, rather state electoral commissions simply announce what they deem as a reflection of the people.
The danger in allowing this travesty to stand and persist is that the will of the people is not respected, and there is absence of choice which is a fulcrum in democracy.
The country can ill-afford the charade that is on display. Besides eroding the confidence of the people in the electoral equation, it means that development and growth will take a backseat while elected officials runaway with corruption and casting the whole system in bad light.
Speaking on the development, Titus Zam (Benue, North West), strongly supported the motion by condemning the election in its entirety.
“There were no elections across the 23 local governments in the state last Saturday. What took place as election at the government house, was a charade and heinous political crime,” he said.
In his contribution, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin described the whole local government elections as a national calamity.
He said: “It is known to everyone that the best bedrock of every democracy is the right of people to elect their leaders in a free and fair election.
“But the sad commentary is that we don’t get anything like free and fair elections in our local governments.
“Across party lines, it is known to everyone, even a child knows this. This fact is known to everyone. The so-called elections are held at local government councils. People don’t go out to vote any longer. Results are announced, and you will not see anybody on the street on election day. Nobody goes out to the polling area because the results are already written, sometimes a week before the election.
“So, we all know, Mr. President that is a national and democratic calamity. I don’t know what those people who fought to bring about democracy in this country are feeling now. I know they are sad.
“So, it’s incumbent upon us to correct what is going on in the name of local government elections.
“We need to stand up. We said clearly yesterday (Wednesday) that we must look at our constitution and make sure we correct those provisions that will allow an independent body to conduct the election or allow INEC to conduct the election.
“We must amend the law and everybody must come on board. Nigerians are tired of this mess. As long as we want democracy to remain in local councils, this abnormal attack on democracy must stop.”
