Former President Olusegun Obasanjo don call for di appointment of credible people to lead di Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for all levels to maintain electoral integrity.
Obasanjo talk dis one for weekend through one recorded video message for di Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum wey dem hold for Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
Him explain say Nigerians suppose ensure say di INEC chairperson and im staff go through proper vetting to select neutral and non-partisan people wey get good reputation. Him talk say di chairperson and all di leaders for federal, state, and local levels must dey independent and avoid political influence or corruption. Di former president believe say dis kind arrangement go help rebuild trust for Nigeria electoral system.
Obasanjo describe di 2023 elections as “travesty” and say di problems wey show for di elections make electoral reform one of di main things wey Nigeria suppose focus on now. Him insist say Nigeria need to protect elections from both local and foreign interference.
For him suggestions, di former president talk say:
- Di country need strict financial rules for political campaigns to stop overspending.
- Nigeria suppose secure election infrastructure like technology for collation and transmission of results.
- International observers suppose dey present for testing di election systems before di elections to confirm say dem dey safe.
- Security personnel must dey professional to protect citizens during elections without joining any illegal activity.
Obasanjo criticize INEC for di 2023 elections, say dem fail to use di Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and Election Result Viewing Portal wey dem promise to implement. Him talk say di technologies no fail, but INEC no use dem well, which cause many irregularities. He describe am as “inviting di fox into di hen house.”
He add say Nigeria need post-election audits and transparent processes to build trust among voters and stakeholders. Obasanjo also warn say if politicians dey use corrupt means to claim victory and dey ask di real winners to go court, e go destroy di idea of democracy for Nigeria.
