Dare Babalola
Political activist and civil society leader, Dr Usman Bugaje, has argued that the appointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should not be done by the president.
The activist made this case during an interview on ARISE News on Monday, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could collapse if INEC is not allowed to work independently.
He argued, “I think everybody is very aware that the INEC has lost a lot of credibility. And it is very important that the institution gains this credibility. Otherwise, the stability of the country is going to be threatened. Because when you have institutions that are not delivering, and especially a key institution like INEC, and if this failure continues, then it will erode, not only confidence in INEC, but confidence in democracy itself. And when that happens, you know the consequences.
“I think the key issues are two. One, that INEC’s credibility is at stake. And two, we have got to insulate INEC from political interference. If that doesn’t happen, then it is the democracy that is holding the country down. And when that happens, there are consequences.”
Bugaje further called for a new way to appoint the chairman of the electoral umpire, stressing that it is not proper for it to be in the hands of the president.
“I don’t think the president, and I don’t mean this president, any president should have a hand in selecting the INEC chairman. That’s the point. I think any election that the president will participate in and he will be the one to bring in who will be the INEC chair, I think it’s a sham election. It’s just like a football club. I support Chelsea Football Club. It’s just like Chelsea Football Club bringing the referee that will ref a match against Manchester United. That’s what it feels like,” he said.
Furthermore, the activist faulted the ongoing conversation around zoning the INEC chairmanship, saying the country needed competence, not geographical considerations.
Bugaje stated “I’ve said it several times. I don’t think this country, in these particular difficult times, with the experience we’ve had in the last 25 years, would really be standing any focus. What we really require are competent people to fix our problems. This country holds a great promise, not only for Africa, but actually for the world. In 25 years, this country is going to be so much better than any country in the world. And it’s going to have to. It is going to survive and thrive.
“This is the time to plan. How do we feed this country? How do we provide the infrastructure? How do we provide the jobs? How do we provide housing? This is the time we need competent leaders. It saddens me that we’re still stuck with zoning.
“We have zoned for the last 25 years. Where has that taken this country to? Down the drain. Therefore, it is time to stop this childish idea and really face the reality. We need competent people. Nigeria has competent people. Yes, you need to be inclusive in whatever you do. But that’s different from zoning. If people start taking turns to destroy this country, where is the country going to be?”
He also raised concerns about revelations that politicians are allegedly plotting to compromise the 2027 elections by infiltrating INEC structures.
“I haven’t read the article, but I’ve read a number of postings making either reference to the article or making similar points independently. It speaks to the worries and concerns of Nigerians in a way.
“This can only be resolved by use of technology. Technology has the capacity to do that. But the law that enables or mandates INEC to do that is still pending. This is something that does not need a constitutional amendment. This is something that can be done in the next one, two, three weeks if the president or if there is sufficient pressure from the public that this has to be done.”
