Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s electoral process, emphasizing the urgent need for the dismissal of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu and other officials at all levels.
President Obasanjo, who spoke during his address at the prestigious Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University in the United States, where he presented a paper titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” minced no words in describing the 2023 general election as a “travesty,” underscoring the imperative for reforming the electoral system to restore credibility and trust.
A key aspect of this reform, he argued, is the implementation of shorter tenures for INEC officials to prevent the undue influence of politics and corruption.
Moreover, Obasanjo advocated for a rigorous vetting process to ensure that only impartial, non-partisan individuals with unimpeachable reputations are appointed to these critical positions.
The former president emphasized that INEC’s leadership must demonstrate unwavering independence, transparency, and incorruptibility.
Obasanjo also pointed to the commission’s failure to utilize cutting-edge technologies, specifically the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), during the 2023 presidential election, despite promises to the contrary made by Chairman Yakubu.
This omission, Obasanjo alleged, led to widespread voting irregularities.
“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. In the end, these technologies did not fail. INEC willfully failed to use or implement them, which resulted in widespread voting irregularities. It was a case of inviting the fox into the henhouse,” Obasanjo stated.