The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission has no constitutional power to conduct local government elections except in the Federal Capital Territory.
Professor Yakubu stated this on Monday on the sidelines of a two-day induction retreat for INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners in Lagos.
The retreat is to prepare the RECs ahead of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states in September and November, respectively.
Reacting to the agitation seeking constitutional backing for INEC to be saddled with the responsibility of conducting Local Government elections, Yakubu described it as ‘a constitutional matter’.
According to him, unless necessary constitutional amendments were made, INEC would only continue to organize national and state elections.
The proponents of an INEC take-over of responsibilities for local elections believe State Governors are hijacking local councils’ allocation due to irregularities in the conduct of the polls.
Recall that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had in March this year called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions
Fagbemi had proposed that their functions be transferred to INEC, to ensure independence and transparency in the outcome of local government elections in the country.