1 month ago
20
As the tenure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu arsenic president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) draws to a close, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called connected President Bola Tinubu to disclose the details of the assignment process for his successor.
SERAP, specifically urged President Tinubu to uncover the fig and names of candidates being considered for the presumption and whether the Council of State has been, oregon volition beryllium consulted successful accordance with law requirements.
The civilian nine organisation besides called connected the President to reconsider the assignment of astatine slightest 3 individuals alleged to beryllium members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) arsenic INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
SERAP made the demands successful a missive dated September 27, 2025, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The organisation argued that Prof Yakubu’s replacement enactment and assignment process cannot beryllium closed, saying a transparent and accountable strategy would service the public’s morganatic interests.
It further pointed retired the important nexus betwixt transparency successful the enactment process of the INEC president and the Commission’s quality to fulfil its law and statutory responsibilities independently and impartially.
SERAP maintained that transparency successful the process would guarantee that competent and impartial individuals were appointed, thereby reducing the risks of conflicts of involvement and allowing Nigerians to scrutinise and prosecute with the process.
It besides insisted that cognition matters greatly successful electoral absorption and that the enactment and assignment process needs to beryllium objective, fair, and perceived arsenic such.
The organisation stated that maintaining secrecy successful the enactment and assignment process would contradict the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s planetary rights commitments.
It stressed that specified would besides undermine INEC’s independence, autonomy, accountability, and the close of Nigerians to a escaped and just election.
SERAP stated, “An autarkic assemblage possesses administrative and fiscal autonomy and guarantees the independency and impartiality of its members.
“Ensuring openness and transparency successful the enactment process for Mr Yakubu’s replacement, on with appointing a competent, independent, and impartial chairman, would besides assistance code perceptions that characterised INEC’s operations, peculiarly during the 2023 wide elections.
“According to Section 154(1) of the Nigerian Constitution (1999, arsenic amended), the Chairman of INEC ‘shall beryllium appointed by the President, and the assignment shall beryllium taxable to confirmation by the Senate.
“Furthermore, Subsection 3 entitles powers, “the President shall consult the State successful exercising his assignment powers of the State.
“Section 153(1)(f) of the Nigerian Constitution establishes the Independent National Electoral Commission arsenic a national body.
“Under Section 6(4) of the Electoral Act 2022, “The assignment of a Resident Electoral Commissioner shall comply with Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution.
“The nomination, confirmation, and assignment of alleged APC members arsenic RECs for INEC breaches Section 6(4) of the Electoral Act 2022, arsenic good arsenic Section 156(1)(a) and Paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution.
“Article 13(1) of the African Charter connected Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 25 of the International Covenant connected Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is simply a authorities party, warrant the close of each national to enactment freely successful the authorities of their country, either straight oregon done freely chosen representatives.
“The combined effect of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, and planetary standards mandates that elections are genuinely organised by a genuinely autarkic body,” SERAP stated.
English (US) ·