Chief Chinedu Eya, a business mogul and Labour Party (LP) candidate for the Udenu/Igboeze North Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election, has vowed to champion the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in Nigeria.
Eya, the Chief Executive Officer of My Eya Homes, said the continued control of local government elections by state electoral commissions had undermined democracy at the grassroots, alleging that state governments frequently manipulate council elections to favour their preferred candidates.
According to him, the existing arrangement, which places the conduct of local government elections under the control and supervision of state governments, creates room for electoral manipulation and denies the people the opportunity to freely elect their representatives.
“I will fight to abolish State Independent Electoral Commissions. Local government elections must be credible, transparent and truly reflective of the wishes of the people. It is unacceptable for state governments to control the electoral process and, in many instances, determine who emerges as council chairman or councillor,” Eya declared.
The Labour Party candidate argued that transferring the responsibility of conducting local government elections to a unified national electoral body would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and make it more difficult for state governors to manipulate elections at the grassroots.
He maintained that such a reform would promote electoral independence, accountability and fairness, while restoring public confidence in local government elections, which he described as the foundation of participatory democracy.
Eya further noted that the proposal was not a novel idea, recalling that the Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee had recommended the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions as part of its broader proposals for electoral reforms in Nigeria.
He said implementing the recommendation would represent a major step towards addressing the persistent challenges associated with local government elections and ensuring that electoral outcomes are determined by the electorate rather than political office holders.
The business mogul stressed that credible local government elections would pave the way for the emergence of competent, popular and people-oriented councillors and chairmen, capable of delivering meaningful development to their respective communities.
Eya added that democracy would remain incomplete if citizens were denied the genuine opportunity to elect leaders at the grassroots, insisting that the voices and votes of the people must be respected at every level of governance.
He assured the people of Udenu/Igboeze North Federal Constituency that, if elected to the House of Representatives, he would use his legislative platform to advocate electoral reforms that would strengthen democratic governance, promote transparency and guarantee the supremacy of the people's will.
