Reps urge INEC to relocate its offices from local govt headquarters

The House of Representatives has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to relocate its offices from local government headquarters to more neutral and secure venues.

This resolution followed a motion moved by Sunday Nnamchi (LP, Enugu) during Wednesday’s plenary session.

In the motion, Mr Nnamchi argued that INEC’s current practice of using local government headquarters poses a significant threat to electoral integrity.

He noted that some local governments are sometimes dominated by particular political parties, making access difficult for opposition parties.

The legislator said INEC offices must be situated in secure and neutral venues.

“This proximity exposes INEC to manipulation and control by council chairmen, particularly in areas dominated by a single political party,” he said.

“This impedes INEC’s impartiality as enshrined in Section 6 of the Electoral Act 2022. There is a need to maintain public trust and confidence in the electoral process,” he added.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to a vote by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.

The House subsequently mandated the Committee on Electoral Matters to liaise with INEC and other relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance and report within four weeks for further legislative action.

History of attacks on INEC offices

Attacks on INEC offices have been a recurring issue impacting the electoral process in Nigeria. Over the past few years, dozens of attacks on INEC’s facilities have been reported.

In a report, PREMIUM TIMES documented 41 attacks on INEC facilities between 2019 and 2021. These incidents occurred across 14 states from February 2019 to May 2021.

According to INEC, most of the attacks on its facilities were carried out by hoodlums and unknown gunmen, while some were attributed to post-election violence and thuggery during elections.

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The South-east region has become a hotspot for the electoral commission, as hoodlums and gunmen in the area often target INEC facilities as easy marks.

However, the motion from the House did not provide any alternative to the current locations at local government headquarters.

There is also no empirical evidence that suggests that relocating INEC offices from local government headquarters to other parts of the various local governments would guarantee security during elections or at other times.

For operational purposes, INEC maintains one office in each of the 768 local governments and the six area councils.