The process of appointing officials to the Independent National Electoral Commission has come under scrutiny, with stakeholders urging reforms to safeguard Nigeria’s electoral integrity.
Sunday PUNCH reports that the call for change is one of the 142 recommendations derived from post-election reviews and stakeholder engagements documented by INEC.
The stakeholders include Civil Society Organisations, Transport Unions, media executives, and political parties, among others.
Concerns about alleged partisanship and questions regarding the qualifications of some appointees have raised doubts about INEC’s neutrality, leading to debates about its credibility.
Stakeholders argue that the current method of selecting National and Resident Electoral Commissioners leaves room for political interference, which undermines public trust in the electoral system.
There are increasing calls for a transparent and merit-based appointment process to ensure officials are politically neutral and possess the technical expertise required for effective election management.
Reintroducing recommendations from the Uwais Electoral Reform Committee, which advocates measures to ensure impartiality, has been suggested as a way to strengthen the process.
In the 61-page document outlining the recommendations, the stakeholders emphasised the importance of depolitising appointments to the commission.
They called on the National Assembly to revisit reforms proposed in the Uwais report and consider legislative changes to ensure that only non-partisan and competent individuals are appointed.
“Although the Electoral Act 2022 appears comprehensive and widely accepted, the implementation of the revised laws, regulations, and guidelines during the 2023 general elections has led to the identification of new gaps and challenges that need to be addressed.
“In the light of controversies generated over the neutrality of some officials of the commission, stakeholders called for a review of the process of appointments into INEC to ensure that National and Resident Electoral Commissioners are non-partisan and bring specific skills needed by the Commission for the job.
“In this regard, the National Assembly could consider revisiting the recommendations of the Uwais Electoral Reform Committee on this,” parts of the recommendations read.
Stakeholders believe these reforms are essential to rebuilding public confidence in INEC and ensuring the credibility of future elections.