Parties with five lawmakers should nominate INEC chairman – Aregbesola

Rauf Aregbesola, national secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says political parties with at least five lawmakers in the national assembly should nominate individuals to lead the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The former Osun governor spoke on Monday during a panel session in Abuja themed “Innovation in Electoral Technology 2015–2025”.

Aregbesola said Nigeria’s electoral system cannot command public confidence unless reforms begin from the appointment of the INEC chairman.

He added that involving political parties in the nomination process would ensure fairness and reduce the likelihood of manipulation.

“The issues involved in Nigerian elections are not as simple as we are putting them. From the appointment of the chief electoral officer, that’s the chairman of INEC, and all the commissioners to all the issues involved, we know,” Aregbesola said.

“We pretend as if we don’t know, we know they don’t even inspire confidence. So we must start from there. We must start from how we appoint people who should manage this process in the first instance.

“And I would say outright, we must review that to inspire confidence. And now, what is my suggestion? It’s so simple.

“We must begin by reviewing how leaders of this process are appointed to restore trust.”

The former minister said that “when a principal beneficiary of manipulation selects the electoral leadership, the process is inherently compromised”.

“Let parties with at least five members in the national assembly nominate people who will be at the helm of affairs in INEC on an equal basis,” he said.

“It’s as simple as that. That solves all the issues. If the parties now depict themselves to allow one of them to run away with it, fine.

“A situation where the principal beneficiary of manipulation nominates who heads INEC already dictates the outcome.

“And we would be grandstanding in deceit if we continue pretending technology alone ensures credibility.”

‘INEC MUST PUBLICLY DEMONSTRATE HOW BVAS, IReV WORK BEFORE ELECTIONS’

The former interior minister further asked INEC to publicly demonstrate the technology it plans to use during elections.

“Besides that, we must compel INEC to physically present the technology to Nigerians,” he said.

“Don’t tell us you are using BVAS, you are using this only for one election day, only to change the entire thing and we don’t know. It’s abracadabra.

“The Electoral Act compels INEC to show citizens how elections will be conducted; transparency and consistency will prevent confusion and manipulation.”

The former interior minister questioned why Nigeria has yet to adopt real-time result display systems successfully used in other democracies.

“How come that in India, Brazil, and Venezuela, as people vote, the tally is being done and shown to everyone?” Aregbesola asked.

“We have committed so much to electoral technology that this should be possible. Let’s demand simultaneous display of results as they are being recorded. The paperwork should only serve as backup for the political parties.”

Aregbesola also criticised limited access for party agents and observers, insisting they must closely monitor accreditation and voting procedures.

“Agents of parties must verify that voters holding cards are rightful owners and must not be kept at a distance,” he said.

On voter registration, Aregbesola urged INEC to integrate its database with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to eliminate multiple entries.

“Linking voter registration with NIMC will prevent bloated registers. We cannot have 93 million registered voters with only 23 million voting,” he said.

Acknowledging potential constitutional hurdles, Aregbesola said political will is the main obstacle to reform.

“It may require a constitutional amendment, but it is achievable if we are serious. To have a credible election and democracy, you need democrats, and democrats require trust in the process,” he added.

Last week, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, asked the National Assembly to fast-track amendments to the electoral legal framework.(The Cable)