By Abubakar Abraham
The National Chairman of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON), Hon. Mamman Nda Eri, has called for stronger institutional collaboration between State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to enhance the credibility of local government elections in Nigeria.
Eri made the call on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by FOSIECON members to the Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, at the Commission’s National Headquarters in Abuja, a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of KOSIEC, Modupe Adegboro, has revealed.
According to him, “A structured and sustained partnership between INEC and SIECs will deepen professionalism, enhance transparency, and boost public confidence in elections at the grassroots level.”
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He proposed collaboration in key areas including capacity building and technical support, technology sharing, policy dialogue on electoral reforms, voter education, stakeholder engagement, as well as research and data exchange.
Eri noted that INEC’s deployment of innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal has improved transparency in national elections. He said, “State electoral commissions can learn from these innovations and adapt similar tools within the limits of their constitutional mandates.”
The FOSIECON Chairman also disclosed that the Forum recently conducted capacity-building and election observation activities during the FCT Area Council elections with support from international development partners, including the European Union and the Supporting Democratic Governance in Nigeria (SDGN).
While acknowledging that INEC and SIECs operate under distinct constitutional frameworks, Eri emphasised that institutional cooperation and shared learning would strengthen electoral governance nationwide.
He congratulated the INEC Chairman on his appointment and commended the Commission for its leadership in electoral reforms and technological innovation.
