Two weeks after the Supreme Court granted financial autonomy to local governments (LGs) in Nigeria, Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared that the commission is capable of successfully conducting LG elections if legally mandated.
Yakubu made this statement on Thursday when he appeared before a Joint National Assembly Committee on Electoral Matters to present the budget for the Ondo and Edo off-cycle elections.
However, he raised concerns about funding for by-elections in the country.
Currently, state governments organize LG elections within their jurisdictions, with ruling parties typically winning all local council chairmanship seats, a situation opposed by other political parties.
Yakubu explained that the commission, which currently conducts smooth elections in the 62 wards of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area councils, as well as national and state elections, could efficiently conduct elections across the 774 local government areas with certain amendments to the electoral laws.
