IPAC calls for scrapping of SIECs

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).

IPAC National Secretary, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, made the call when he received a delegation of the United Nations Electoral Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) Tuesday.

He received the delegation, led by Serge Kubwimana, at the council’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

Dantalle said that many Nigerians had lost confidence in the ability of SEICs to conduct free, fair, credible and inclusive elections at the grassroots level.

He complained that the council would continue to engage stakeholders, particularly the National Assembly, for further reform of the electoral process including the scrapping of the SIECs.

“Polls conducted by various SIECs in the country are mere charades with predetermined outcomes that make mockery of our democratic encounter.

“Accordingly, IPAC will boycott these electoral jamborees by State Governments in power which have impeded the nation’s democratic advancement at the grassroots, and demands that their functions be carried out by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“In view of this, IPAC supports Local Government autonomy as the third tier of government closest to the people,” Dantalle said.

He said that the security challenge in the nation was worrisome to patriotic Nigerians and concerted efforts were required to overcome it.

“Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. We need assistance of all lovers of representative governance to sustain it,” he said.

Dantalle insisted free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive, peaceful and acceptable election was the beauty and bedrock of any democracy.

He said the 2023 forthcoming general elections were critical for sustainable democracy in Nigeria.

He added that the council was pleased with the visit of the UN mission so as to Nigeria to have an on the spot assessment of the country’s preparation for the general elections.

Dantalle said that to sustain the gains of the recent electoral reforms, IPAC as an umbrella of 18 registered political parties, needed the assistance of the UN Electoral Needs Assistance Mission.

He said that such assistance include capacity building of political party leaders to equip them for transformational leadership.

He said there was need to enhance parties’ internal recruitment process, which would produce credible leaders with the people’s mandate to govern.

“To ensure active participation of the populace in the forthcoming elections, IPAC will embark on massive sensitisation, advocacy, enlightenment and mobilization of the electorate at grassroots level across the country.

“This will require intensive publicity which includes adverts on radio, television, newspapers and printing of fliers that will also be translated into various local languages to educate the masses on the need to actively participate in the elections and the danger of vote buying and selling that will mortgage their destinies if wrong people are voted into offices.

“The council will continue to engage leaders of political parties on the need for inclusive and participatory democracy by drastically reducing the cost of expression of interest and nomination fees for aspirants contesting various elective positions.

“A political party’s ticket should not be exclusively for the highest bidder,” he said.

Dantalle said that IPAC would also want the nation’s development partners to assist in the establishment of its African Democratic Institute (ADI).

This is with the vision of creating a centre for training of politicians and administrative support structures of political parties.

Kubwimana said that the mission was in Nigeria to assess the supports required by critical stakeholders to ensure peaceful and free election in the country in 2023.

Kubwimana said that they were interested not only in peaceful election, but inclusive process and participation of Persons With Disabilities, youths and other critical stakeholders.

“We also want to know your intention and anything that we can contribute to peaceful election and how to preserve the gains of elections laid over previous electoral cycle in the last elections,” he said.