The House of Representatives has initiated constitutional amendments aimed at strengthening the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), tightening appointment criteria and expanding their operational powers in a move designed to curb executive interference in local government elections.
The proposals followed the adoption and consolidation of constitution amendment bills by the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
Lawmakers are expected to debate and vote on the proposed amendments when the National Assembly resumes plenary on January 27, 2026, after the Christmas and New Year recess. If approved, the bills will be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for concurrence, in line with constitutional requirements.
Central to the reform is a proposed amendment to Section 200 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which governs the qualifications for membership of SIECs. The House is seeking to introduce stricter eligibility criteria beyond the existing provisions, as part of efforts to professionalise the commissions and enhance their credibility.
The amendments also target what lawmakers describe as the long-standing problem of executive dominance over SIECs. Under the current constitutional framework, state governors wield significant influence over the commissions, a situation critics say has undermined their independence.
To address this, the proposed amendment to Section 204 introduces a new proviso explicitly limiting gubernatorial control over SIECs. It states that the powers of a State Independent Electoral Commission to make rules or regulate its procedures “shall not be subject to the approval or control of the governor.”
In addition, the House is proposing a substantial expansion of the powers of SIECs through amendments to the Third Schedule of the Constitution.
At present, SIECs are empowered mainly to organise, undertake and supervise elections to local government councils, as well as advise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on voter registration matters related to local polls.
Under the proposed changes, SIECs would gain authority to conduct voter education, monitor political party primaries and congresses, oversee political campaigns, and issue guidelines and regulations governing campaign activities.
The amended schedule would also empower state electoral commissions to conduct referendums required under the Constitution or any law enacted by a state.
The proposed reforms come against the backdrop of sustained criticism of the credibility of local government elections conducted by SIECs across Nigeria.
For years, civil society organisations, election observers, opposition parties and constitutional experts have accused SIECs of operating as extensions of state governments, often producing landslide victories for ruling parties in state-controlled elections.
Concerns over the lack of independence of SIECs have been echoed in court judgments and reports by domestic and international election observers, many of which have described local government elections in Nigeria as procedural exercises rather than genuine democratic contests.
Advocates of reform have consistently called for constitutional safeguards to insulate SIECs from executive control, strengthen their professionalism and align their powers more closely with those of INEC.
Lawmakers say the House intervention is part of broader efforts to deepen democracy at the grassroots, restore public confidence in local government elections and strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework.
If approved by the National Assembly and ratified by the required number of state legislatures, the amendments would represent one of the most significant constitutional overhauls of state electoral bodies since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999.