By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has opposed the proposed bill by the Senate to create the Local Government Independent Electoral Commission.

IPAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinyere Ogekalu, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, said that the bill, sponsored by Sen. Sani Musa, representing Niger East, was unacceptable and unnecessary.

Ogekalu said that the creation of such commission would lead to duplication of functions and waste of public funds.

She also said that the proposed commission would not address the challenges faced in the conduct of local government elections in the country.

“Creating another commission will not address the challenges faced in conducting local government elections. Instead, it will lead to unnecessary duplication of efforts and resources.

“The proposed commission will still rely on INEC’s voter register, INEC Result View Portal (IREV), Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), ballot boxes, and other resources, to conductsuccessful elections,” Ogekalu said.

She said that rather than creating another commission, the country should focus on building the capacity of INEC to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections at the local level.

“This is especially crucial at a time when the government is grappling with limited resources to cater to the welfare of citizens.

“We urge the Senate to reconsider this proposed bill and prioritise the strengthening of INEC to deliver credible elections at all levels,” Ogekalu said. (NAN)