Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has pushed for the nomination of fresh and credible heads to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with short terms to prevent corruption and restore trust.
Obasanjo made the call during the Chinua Achebe leadership event at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Speaking on ‘Leadership failure and state capture in Nigeria,’ Obasanjo branded the 2023 general elections as a mockery.
The former military head of state stated that modernizing the electoral system was a critical issue for the country, and that INEC personnel must be thoroughly vetted to avoid partisan appointments.
He urged for an urgent thorough vetting of the INEC chairperson and the entire team, stating that the vetting process should produce dispassionate, nonpartisan actors with spotless reputations.
Obasanjo said:
“Nigeria must ensure the appointment of new credible INEC leadership at the federal, state, local government, and municipal—city, town, and village levels—with short tenures—to prevent undesirable political influence and corruption and re-establish trust in the electoral systems by its citizens.
“The INEC chairperson must not only be absolutely above board, but he must also be transparently independent and incorruptible.”
To ensure democratic integrity, he believes Nigeria must resist electoral intervention at all levels, defending elections from both foreign and domestic hostile players.
He went on to say that clear financial restrictions should be implemented for political campaigns to promote transparency and accountability.
According to him, INEC purposefully avoided using the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and election watching portal (IReV) technologies for the 2023 presidential election.
He said:
“The BVAS and IReV are two technological innovations that, prior to 2023, were celebrated for their potential to enhance the accuracy and transparency of our election results, eliminate the threat of election rigging, and boost public trust in electoral outcomes.”
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cc: Daily Post Ng
