Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, along with other officials at federal, state, and local levels, as part of a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s electoral system.
Obasanjo made this appeal during a presentation at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the United States. The forum, held annually, commemorates the legacy of the renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. His address, titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” was delivered via a pre-recorded message.
In his speech, the former president described the 2023 general election as a “travesty” and emphasized the need for urgent reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process. He advocated for shorter terms for INEC officials and a stricter vetting process to ensure non-partisan and reputable individuals are appointed.
“As a matter of urgency, we must ensure the INEC Chairperson and their staff are thoroughly vetted. The vetting exercise should produce dispassionate, non-partisan actors with impeccable reputations,” Obasanjo stated. He stressed the importance of replacing the current leadership with credible individuals at all levels of the commission....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
Highlighting the shortcomings of the 2023 elections, Obasanjo criticized INEC’s failure to effectively deploy key technological tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). “The BVAS and IReV are two technological innovations that, prior to 2023, were celebrated for their potential to enhance the accuracy and transparency of our election results, eliminate the threat of election rigging, and boost public trust in electoral outcomes. These technologies were touted by the INEC chairman himself,” he said.
He further accused INEC of deliberately undermining the use of these technologies, stating, “In the end, these technologies did not fail. INEC wilfully failed to use or implement them, which resulted in widespread voting irregularities. It was a case of inviting the fox into the henhouse.”
Obasanjo’s remarks underscore his call for transformative changes within the electoral body to restore public trust and credibility in Nigeria’s democratic process.
