Plateau LG Polls: Yiaga Africa Demands Credible Polls And Transparent Elections In Plateau State.

YIAGA Africa has called for credible and transparent local government elections in Plateau State forth Coming Local Government elections in the 17 LGAs of the state.

The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa Samson Itodo emphasized on the importance of punctuality, integrity, and independence in the electoral process.

Samson Itodo made this call on Monday in Jos in Plateau state during his visit to PLASIEC Headquarters.

He urged the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to ensure that the forth coming election results truly reflect the will of the people and remain free from political interference.
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Speaking during a consultative meeting with the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, emphasized the need for the electoral body to meet voter expectations and uphold democratic principles.

He stated that “Voters expect election officials to be present at polling units early on election day to enable them to cast their votes adding that the results of the election must reflect the actual votes cast and that PLASIEC should Ensure that the outcome of the local Polls on the Plateau represents the will and aspirations of the people of Plateau.

Itodo stressed that the commission must maintain its independence and resist any attempts by political actors to interfere with the electoral process and outlined three critical tests for the commission which includes,: integrity, competency, and resilience.

“The commission must ensure that local government elections meet high standards of integrity,all officials managing the elections need to have the requisite capacity and competence, and the commission must withstand the challenges of conducting local elections, including security, economic, and political challenges.” He stressed.

Highlighting Yiaga Africa’s commitment to the electoral process in Nigeria and Africa,Itodo said, “As a civil society organization, Yiaga Africa will continue to support electoral commissions in Nigeria and across Africa. Our collaboration includes legal reviews to ensure electoral laws are consistent with the 2022 Electoral Act and initiatives to increase public interest and voter turnout in local government elections.”

On the calls for the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) by some Political actors and quarters within political circle s , Itodo argued against it, citing three main reasons:

“It is flawed to argue for the abolition of SIECs due to the trend of conducting coronations instead of elections.

According to him,Safeguarding the operational and financial independence of SIECs through legal means is crucial.

“Secondly, INEC has stated that it is overburdened with responsibilities.

He Added that the task of conducting local council elections would exacerbate this. Finally, how can people be advocating for local government autonomy and at the same time calling for centralization of it , is contradictory.

He suggested that Strengthening SIECs is essential for true local democracy.” He emphasized

In his own contribution remarks, Professor Nnamdi Aduba, a board member of Yiaga Africa, reiterated the importance of empowered state electoral commissions for genuine local democracy.

He stated, that “Federalism should be tailored to the specific history of a country.

“We are moving towards federalism, which entails decentralization.”

Aduba stressed the need for local involvement in elections and urged the commission to set a high standard.

Earlier in his welcome of address, the state PLASIEC Chairman, Mr. Plangji Cishak, reassured of his commission’s dedication to transparency and credibility, highlighting efforts to improve processes and meet global standards.

“One of the first signs of integrity is openness to scrutiny. We have not closed our doors to interventions or the media. The lives and destinies of close to six million people are our responsibility. We aim to set a standard for other independent commissions to follow.”Cishak stated.