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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s electoral process.
Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, Yale University, in the United States, Obasanjo specifically called for the dismissal of Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other officials at all levels.
While describing the 2023 general election as a “travesty,” Obasanjo the imperative for reforming the electoral system to restore credibility and trust.
The former president also advocated for shorter tenures for INEC officials and a more rigorous vetting process to prevent the appointment of partisan individuals.
He said: “As a matter of urgency, we must ensure the INEC Chairperson and their staff are thoroughly vetted. The vetting exercise should produce dispassionate, non-partisan actors with impeccable reputations.
“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 to re-establish trust in the electoral system by its citizens.
“The INEC Chairperson must not only be absolutely above board but must also be transparently independent and incorruptible.”
Obasanjo also pointed to the commission’s failure to utilize cutting-edge technologies, specifically the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), during the 2023 presidential election, despite promises to the contrary made by Yakubu.
This omission, he alleged, led to widespread voting irregularities.
“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.
“These technologies were touted by the INEC chairman himself. In the end, these technologies did not fail. INEC wilfully failed to use or implement them, which resulted in widespread voting irregularities. It was a case of inviting the fox into the henhouse,” he said.
