From David Onuoja, Abuja
The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has asserted that the Commission can comfortably handle the conduct of elections in the 774 Local Governments in the country, if the responsibility is given to it.
He stated this on Thursday, when he appeared before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters for the preparations on the upcoming Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States respectively.
Professor Yakubu, said INEC has the capacity to handle the local government elections but that would only be possible pending when the law is amended to permit it to do so.
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He pointed out that the Commission had been conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory which has been devoid of the problems associated with the conduct of local government elections.
He spoke on some of the advantages of INEC handling elections to include: “regular elections as when due, stability of tenure, and also that there has never been a caretaker committee in the FCT.
Secondly, “there was never a time only one political party has won all the seats at the elections as is common in the states.
“If INEC handles the election, it would be better for democracy”, he declared.
He, however, said that this can only happen, if the constitution is amended to take the responsibility from state electoral commissions.
