Governors Mutfwang, Sule, CSOs Stand with SIEC, Kick Against Dissolution.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau and Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa States as well as Civil Society Organizations have thrown their weight behind State Independent Electoral Commission, SIEC and kicked against the proposed dissolution of the Commission through the ongoing Constitution amendments at the National Assembly.

SIEC received the endorsement of the two governors and the CSOs at the ongoing 13th Annual Conference of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions FOSIECON, holding at Crispan hotel in Jos, the Plateau State capital on Wednesday.

According to Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, he completely disagrees with the idea that state electoral commissions should be scrapped. He said the answer is not to throw everything away, but to fix what’s broken.

“Also, the collaboration between INEC and the State Electoral Commissions must improve. The voter data INEC holds doesn’t belong to INEC—it belongs to Nigeria. States should have access to it, without unnecessary restrictions.

“Section 7 of our Constitution says local governments should be democratically elected. That’s fine. But I believe every State should have the freedom to run its local governments in a way that works best for them. Local government autonomy is a nice phrase, but it sometimes distracts us from the real issue: “efficiency.”

For Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state, abolishing State Electoral Commissions is not the answer but a reform.

“I strongly disagree with that idea. It’s not a solution. The same problems you see in the state commissions exist at the federal level too. So if you scrap the state commissions, you’re not solving the root problem—you’re just moving it around.

“What we need is reform. We need strong, trusted systems and leaders with integrity. I know many governors—including myself and my brother here—who are willing to be part of that solution.” He said.

Chairman, Plateau State Civil Society Organizations Forum, Rev. Christopher Damcher, the SIEC should not be scrapped as he commended the last election conducted by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission, PLASIEC for conducting what is described as a free, fair and credible election in the state.

In a keynote address titled, “Local Government Elections in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities” delivered by Prof. Samuel Egwu, he insisted that it is wrong to set up a binary narrative of elections at the national level on the one hand and at the Local Government level on the other hand, thus making INEC as the saint and SIECs as the devil.

Earlier in a welcome address, National Chairman of Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIECON), Barr. Jossy Eze said SIEC is the most misunderstood, disregard, criticized or tauted among other government agencies. He appreciated the state governors and all guests at the event as he looked forward to a robust discussion at the conference.