Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the appointment of credible leadership within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at all levels to restore integrity to Nigeria’s electoral system.
Speaking via a recorded video address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, over the weekend, Obasanjo emphasized the need for a thorough vetting of the INEC chairman and staff. He urged that the vetting process ensure the selection of impartial, non-partisan individuals with impeccable reputations.
“As a matter of urgency, we must ensure that the INEC chairperson and staff undergo rigorous vetting. This process should produce dispassionate, incorruptible actors with transparent independence,” he said.
Obasanjo further stressed the importance of appointing credible leadership at the federal, state, local government, and municipal levels. He recommended short tenures for INEC officials to minimize political interference and corruption while rebuilding public trust in the electoral process.
“The INEC chairperson must not only be beyond reproach but must also be transparently independent and incorruptible,” he added.
Electoral Reforms Needed After a “Travesty”
Describing Nigeria’s 2023 elections as “a travesty,” Obasanjo highlighted the urgent need for electoral reforms. He called for mechanisms to prevent electoral interference and safeguard elections from both domestic and foreign actors.
He also advocated for strict financial regulations for political campaigns to ensure compliance, as well as intensified efforts to secure voting infrastructure. These measures include protecting the technology used to collate, transmit, and verify election results.
“Before elections, we should conduct transparent penetration testing of election systems and infrastructure, witnessed by international observers, to ensure their integrity,” Obasanjo suggested.
He underscored the need for INEC to enforce ballot security to prevent tampering or unauthorized access, whether manually or through cyberattacks. He also called for better physical security for commissions and voters, urging security agencies to act professionally and avoid participating in electoral malpractice.
Failures in the 2023 Elections
Obasanjo criticized INEC for failing to implement key technologies during the 2023 elections, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“These technologies were promoted by the INEC chairman himself but were ultimately not utilized. This failure was not due to technical issues; it was a deliberate act by INEC, leading to widespread irregularities. It was akin to inviting the fox into the henhouse,” Obasanjo remarked.
Building Trust in Elections
The former president emphasized the importance of post-election audits and transparent processes to build trust among stakeholders and voters. He warned that allowing politicians to manipulate election outcomes without consequences could destroy Nigeria’s democracy.
“Declaring winners in elections where votes don’t matter and telling those aggrieved to seek justice in courts where fairness is uncertain is the fastest way to kill electoral democracy,” Obasanjo concluded.
