Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the urgent appointment of credible leadership within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at all levels to safeguard electoral integrity in Nigeria.
Speaking in a recorded video address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Obasanjo emphasized the need for thorough vetting of INEC officials. He stressed that the process must prioritize dispassionate, non-partisan individuals with impeccable reputations to lead the electoral body.
“As a matter of urgency, the INEC chairperson and their team must undergo thorough vetting,” Obasanjo said. “This process should ensure the appointment of actors who are independent, above reproach, and transparently incorruptible.”
The former president further advocated for the implementation of short tenures for INEC officials at federal, state, local, and municipal levels to minimize political interference and corruption. According to him, such measures are vital to rebuilding trust in Nigeria’s electoral systems.
Obasanjo described the 2023 elections as “a travesty” and called for comprehensive reforms of the electoral system. He underscored the importance of preventing both foreign and local interference in elections and urged the enforcement of stringent financial regulations for political campaigns to curb excessive spending and ensure compliance.
He also highlighted the need to secure voting infrastructure, including the technology used for collating, transmitting, verifying, and disseminating election results. “Prior to elections, there must be a transparent exercise, observed internationally, to test the security and reliability of the election system and infrastructure,” he said.
Obasanjo criticized the 2023 elections for the failure to implement technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which had been publicly championed by the INEC leadership. “These technologies did not fail; rather, INEC chose not to utilize them, leading to widespread irregularities. It was akin to inviting the fox into the henhouse,” he remarked.
To enhance future electoral credibility, Obasanjo recommended instituting post-election audits and transparent processes to reassure voters and stakeholders. He warned that allowing politicians to manipulate election outcomes and relying on courts where justice is uncertain undermines democracy.
“Nigeria must ensure that electoral results reflect the will of the people,” Obasanjo concluded. “Politicians declaring themselves winners in flawed elections and expecting losers to seek justice in compromised courts is the fastest way to destroy electoral democracy.”