INEC to now conduct local government elections - Senate

- Senate wants Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct local govt elections

- The bill to amend the 1999 Constitution was presented by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu

- The bill also proposes that no local council should receive allocation except it is democratically constituted

The Senate has voted to alter the 1999 Constitution after the constitutional amendment report was submitted to the red Chamber on Tuesday, July 26.

The lawmakers believed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) henceforth should be conducting local government elections of states.

The alteration is part of constitutional reforms by the legislature to make local governments become independent of states, Premiums Times reports.

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Legit.ng gathered that the proposal became the 33rd item of the report on the bill to amend the 1999 Constitution and which was presented by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

Mr Ekweremadu’s report originally had 32 items, including autonomy for local government areas.

Meanwhile, Dino Melaye, APC-Kogi, said that permitting states to oversee conducts of local government elections make a mess of the call for autonomy.

Mr Melaye support the move that the Independent National Electoral Commission should conduct the local elections.

“How do we speak of local government autonomy, without addressing the foundation,” He argued while in seeking states to be stripped of the power to constitute state electoral commissions to conduct local government elections.

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Ekweremadu’s report had only included proposal for democratically elected local councils, which can directly receive allocations from the federation accounts.

The bill also proposes that no local council should receive allocation except it is democratically constituted.

It was learnt that the Senate is still in session considering other items in Mr Ekweremadu’s report on the bill to further amend the Constitution as at the time of filing this report

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the 1999 Nigerian constitution was about to receive a huge face-lift. On Tuesday, July 25, the Senate received a 33-item report on the fourth alteration of the constitution.

The report which calls for huge changes in the constitution was presented by the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu.

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Source: Legit.ng