Delegates at the 13th National Delegates Conference of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) in Jos have rejected calls to abolish State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), advocating instead for reforms to strengthen their independence and autonomy.
The conference, supported by the European Union through its Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme, focused on addressing challenges facing SIECs and proposing solutions to enhance local election administration. A statement from the EU on Thursday highlighted the delegates’ push for reform over dissolution.
Key speakers, including Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, FOSIECON Chairman Jossy Eze, INEC representative Oliver Agundu, and Prof. Samuel Egwu, unanimously opposed scrapping SIECs. They argued that reforming the bodies would ensure their financial and administrative independence while aligning with Nigeria’s federal structure.
Prof. Egwu emphasized, “I support the retention and strengthening of SIECs because we operate a federal polity. The imperative of federalism requires us to strengthen local rule. Transferring local elections to INEC or creating a new bureau doesn’t align with federalism.” Eze echoed this sentiment, lamenting that despite constitutional backing, SIECs often face pressure to serve vested interests. He noted that pending bills in the National Assembly fail to address these core issues.
Governor Mutfwang stressed the need for better leadership recruitment and governance efficiency, stating, “The conversation should begin with how we recruit leaders. Bad governance undermines democracy, leads to underdevelopment, and wastes public resources. Autonomy masks the real issues—what we need is efficiency.” Governor Sule pledged support for the conference’s recommendations, offering Nasarawa State as a pilot for implementation. “I hope FOSIECON delegates will propose actionable solutions. Many governors will support those efforts,” he said.
INEC’s Agundu urged SIECs to treat elections as continuous processes, not one-off events, and called for greater engagement with civil society and voter education initiatives. “Elections include post-election activities. Many SIECs only become active during election periods,” he noted.
