Group Wants inec To Conduct Council Polls

A transparency and good governance group, the Initiative for Change and Development is advocating for the Independent National Electoral Commission to start conducting local government elections in Nigeria.
This is as the group said that full financial autonomy by the local governments will facilitate development in the rural areas across the country and make the people enjoy democratic dividends.
The Director General of the group, Ichenwa Glory who stated this in Port Harcourt said that the issue of god fatherism would be eliminated, if the INEC is allowed to conduct council polls.
Glory noted that most state election commissions do the bidding of their state governors who decide the results of the elections even before it is conducted.
According to him, it would not be a bad idea for the INEC to start conducting directly local government elections as that will go a long way to put a stop to the trending god fatherism that has bedeviled development in our local areas.
He also commended the federal government over its move to give full autonomy to the local government councils across the country.
The group’s director general pointed out that full financial autonomy of local government councils would bring development at the grassroots in Nigeria.
“What is most important is development at the people. Since that is quite true, you then agree that the near financial autonomy being enjoyed by local councils today is a welcome development as it has the potential to elicit more concentration on the part of managers of local government councils with regards to dragging development to the rural communities.

Dennis Naku