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.”
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