Yiaga Africa has criticized recent local elections in Nigeria, describing them as lacking democratic integrity. The organization’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, made this statement on Monday, calling for reforms to free State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) from the influence of state governors.

Itodo noted that despite the Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to local governments, many local elections still lack credible democratic standards.

He stressed that extending electoral reforms to local government elections is crucial to ensure SIECs’ operational and financial independence from governors.

“Yiaga Africa has been actively monitoring local government elections and will release a detailed report at the end of October, a month we’ve termed the ‘super month’ for local elections.

This report will be based on our newly developed Local Government Elections Index,” said Itodo.

He further urged state executives to avoid interfering in the operations of SIECs and encouraged the commissions to exercise their constitutional independence to ensure credible and transparent elections. “Adhering to established guidelines is key to preserving the integrity of local government elections,” he added.