FORMER Oyo state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao- Akala, has supported the House of Representatives' resolution that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) should be scrapped, and be replaced with the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), to henceforth conduct local government elections in the country.

The former governor in a statement signed by his media aide, Abraham Ojo, and made available to CEOAFRICA in Ibadan on Sunday, observed that the electorate have always yearned for democratic rule at the grassroots level, but have been denied by some governors who choose to appoint their loyalists as caretaker committee chairmen to further their selfish political motives.

According to him, the conduct of local government elections by INEC will ensure uniformity and promptness in the exercise, as the INEC will abide by the constitutional provisions guiding the conduct of local government elections unlike what obtains with the SIEC.

He frowned at the situation whereby local government elections were held at the convenience of state governors, which according to him is detrimental to the growth of democracy at the grassroots level, as well as an aberration to constitutional provisions.

He stressed that the elected local government chairmen would be more sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the electorate "as against an appointed caretaker chairman, who will always dance to the tune of the governor, knowing full well that his tenure is at the whim and caprices of the governor, who appointed him,"

The former governor and one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in the State, had at various public fora canvassed for the scrapping of SIEC to allow for the takeover of the conduct of local government elections by INEC.

While making reference to two occasions in Osun and Oyo, where he had earlier made the advocacy, Alao-Akala concluded that it was only INEC that could conduct local government elections without any inhibitions or control by the state governors.