Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the dismissal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, and all other commission officials, as part of necessary reforms to Nigeria’s electoral system.
Obasanjo made this statement in a paper he presented at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the United States. The annual forum honors the late Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. Obasanjo’s address, titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” was delivered via a pre-recorded video at the event.
In his speech, Obasanjo described the 2023 general elections as a “travesty” and emphasized that reforming the electoral process must be a top priority for Nigeria. He called for shorter tenures for INEC officials and a more thorough vetting process to ensure that only impartial and credible individuals are appointed to the commission.
“We must ensure that the INEC Chairperson and their staff undergo a rigorous vetting process. This exercise should result in the appointment of non-partisan individuals with impeccable reputations,” Obasanjo said. He also advocated for appointing credible leadership at all levels—federal, state, local government, and municipal—with short terms of office to reduce political influence and corruption, and to restore public trust in the electoral system.
Obasanjo further stated that the INEC Chairperson must be “above board,” and not only independent but also incorruptible. He accused the commission of failing to properly utilize key technological tools, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), during the 2023 presidential election, despite previous promises from Yakubu.
“These technologies were touted as innovations that would enhance the accuracy and transparency of election results, eliminate the possibility of election rigging, and increase public trust. However, INEC deliberately failed to use them, leading to widespread irregularities,” Obasanjo argued. He likened the failure to “inviting the fox into the henhouse.”
INEC came under heavy criticism after the 2023 elections, particularly over the malfunctioning of the IReV platform during the presidential election, which INEC attributed to a technical glitch. This platform was central to post-election legal challenges, though the cases were dismissed by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Supreme Court.
Obasanjo also supported Labour Party candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 election and had previously called for the cancellation of certain results due to concerns over their credibility and transparency. His calls, especially during the results collation process, were widely criticized.
INEC has also faced criticism for its handling of the Edo State off-cycle governorship election and concerns over the appointment of politically affiliated individuals to leadership roles within the commission. Recent appointments by President Bola Tinubu included several individuals with strong ties to his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), raising questions about the commission’s impartiality.
While Obasanjo made strong arguments for electoral reform, it is worth noting that his own record in overseeing elections during his presidency has been criticized. The 2003 and 2007 elections under his leadership were widely condemned as some of the worst in Nigeria’s history. The 2007 election, won by Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was acknowledged by Yar’Adua himself as flawed, leading to subsequent calls for reform, which continued under his successor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Yakubu, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and reappointed in 2020, is expected to complete his tenure next year.
In a separate remark, Cajetan Iheka, head of the Yale Africa Initiative, discussed the continued relevance of the questions raised by Chinua Achebe in his book The Trouble with Nigeria. Iheka emphasized the need for intellectuals to move beyond asking questions and start providing solutions, calling for a frank, respectful discussion about leadership and political power in Africa, in the spirit of Achebe’s own leadership and dignity.
The spokesperson for INEC, Sam Olumekun, was contacted for a response to Obasanjo’s call but did not respond to calls or text messages.
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