By Correspondent in Abuja.
Stakeholders on Friday called for a new legal framework that would empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local government elections across the country.
They made the call at a dialogue forum organised by The Change We Need Nigeria Initiative (TCWNNI) in Abuja, with the theme “Local Government Autonomy: Making It Work.”
The participants said entrusting INEC with the conduct of council elections would promote transparency, accountability, and independence of elected local government officials, free from the influence of state governors.
Mr. Kolawole Banwo, Head of Advocacy, Policy and Communications at WaterAid, said the joint state–local government accounts and excessive control by governors had crippled the financial independence of local councils.
Banwo urged reforms that would guarantee democratically elected councils, secure four-year tenures, and ensure direct access to federal allocations in line with the recent Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
“If INEC conducts local government elections, vested interests will be less compared to when State Independent Electoral Commissions are in charge. Though not perfect, INEC’s independence would make it more difficult for governors to influence election outcomes,”he said.
Mrs. Esther Audu, a former Chairperson of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), backed the call, saying state governments’ control over local elections undermines the will of the people.
“If state governments conduct the elections, they will determine who emerges, instead of the people choosing their representatives. INEC should be allowed to conduct elections at the local, state, and national levels,” she said.
In his keynote address, Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, called for a citizen-led reform of Nigeria’s local government system.
He said while the Supreme Court judgment had reignited the debate on autonomy, true progress would depend on civic accountability and grassroots democratic participation.
“Citizens must hold those in their closest political spaces accountable,” Amadi said.
Mr. Aliyu Kankara, President-General of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), represented by the union’s National Organising Secretary, Mr. Olamisoji Tolulope, said full implementation of local government autonomy would address most challenges facing the grassroots.
He urged the Federal Government to ensure state governments comply strictly with the Supreme Court ruling on financial autonomy for local councils.
“If autonomy is fully implemented, challenges such as poor primary healthcare, rural electrification, education, and insecurity would be better managed,” he said.
The Convener of the forum, Dr. Cosmos Ilechukwu, who is also the General Overseer of Charismatic Renewal Ministries (CRM), described the Supreme Court judgment as a milestone in Nigeria’s democratic development.
He, however, stressed that effective implementation would depend on the political will of leaders at both federal and state levels.
“Local governments are closest to the people and most critical to everyday development—from clean water and functional schools to organised markets and community infrastructure.
“If local governments are not independent, how can they be accountable? If chairmen are controlled from the governor’s office, the people cannot hold them responsible. My prayer is that local governments function effectively and allow citizens to feel the benefits of democracy at the grassroots,”he said.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
