By Aloysius Umalo, Makurdi
The Majority Leader and Member representing Mbagwa State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Saater Tiseer, has called for comprehensive reforms in the Local Government Electoral System in the country.
He addressed concerns raised about the fairness and transparency of the recent Local Government elections in Benue State during an interview in Makurdi.
Despite the elections being conducted following a Supreme Court ruling granting autonomy to Local Governments, there were reports of irregularities and a lack of opposition representation in the results.
The Supreme Court decision deemed caretaker committee leadership at the Local Government level illegal, emphasizing the need for democratically elected officials.
Many states, including Benue, had previously operated with caretaker committees before this ruling.
Following the judgement, Local Governments will now receive their allocations directly from the federation account.
The judgement implies that States that continue to use caretaker committees beyond the three-month grace period will no longer receive funds from the Federation Account.
Hon. Saater pointed out that while there are calls for the establishment of State Police, there are concerns that similar to the state electoral bodies, they could be manipulated by state governors.
He argued that handing over the responsibility for conducting Local Government elections to the Federal INEC would ensure transparency and efficiency.
He emphasized the importance of a strong, unified electoral system to prevent issues like those witnessed in the recent Council elections in Benue State which have led to litigations.
By establishing a national body to oversee all elections, Hon. Saater believes that fairness and transparency can be guaranteed nationwide.
The lawmaker stated that the ultimate goal is to create a competent and reliable electoral system that serves all citizens regardless of their political affiliations.
