4 weeks ago
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Governors, ex-ministers telephone for overhaul of assignment system, stronger transparency successful elections
By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — Prominent governmental leaders, including governors and erstwhile ministers, person urged the Federal Government to undertake broad reforms of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) up of the 2027 wide elections to reconstruct nationalist spot and heighten electoral credibility.
They made the telephone connected Monday successful Abuja during a high-level sheet treatment hosted by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, themed “Innovation successful Electoral Technology 2015–2025: Gains, Gaps, and the Road Ahead.”
The lawsuit besides featured the motorboat of the Athena Election Observatory, an inaugural designed to show and papers electoral reforms, innovations, and governance trends successful Nigeria and crossed Africa.
Among the panellists were Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, erstwhile Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola, and erstwhile Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka, who is besides the Chancellor of the Athena Centre. INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was represented by Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Board of The Electoral Institute (BEI).
Speaking astatine the forum, erstwhile Minister Rauf Aregbesola called for reforms successful the assignment process of INEC’s enactment to fortify the Commission’s independency and credibility.
He suggested that governmental parties with parliamentary practice should person a relation successful nominating INEC officials, saying this would assistance foster nationalist assurance successful the Commission.
Anambra State Governor Prof. Soludo emphasized that credible elections bespeak the prime of governance and organization integrity, noting that reforms should absorption connected deepening nationalist spot and organization independence.
“The captious question is however we tin marque our institutions work. We person made immoderate progress, but we inactive person a agelong mode to spell successful gathering spot successful the process,” Soludo said.
He added that electoral integrity goes beyond exertion oregon ineligible frameworks, stressing that “it depends connected the behaviour and integrity of those managing the process.”
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal linked antiauthoritarian occurrence to respect for the regularisation of instrumentality and accountability successful governance.
“We cannot speech astir ideology without the regularisation of law. The regularisation of instrumentality guarantees fairness, justice, and bid successful society,” helium said.
Former Minister Osita Chidoka said Nigeria’s electoral challenges stem from anemic institutions and debased nationalist confidence, stressing that “institutions, not individuals, marque ideology work.”
“We indispensable guarantee that the umpire is not seen arsenic a player. Without transparency, ideology becomes a shadiness of itself,” Chidoka said.
Responding connected behalf of INEC, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru reiterated the Commission’s committedness to improving transparency and adopting exertion to heighten predetermination management.
“INEC has continued to betterment its processes and physique transparency successful each its operations,” helium stated, noting that the Commission had established an Artificial Intelligence Unit to fortify monitoring and information integrity up of aboriginal polls.
The forum concluded with a statement that Nigeria’s antiauthoritarian aboriginal depends connected credible electoral institutions. The motorboat of the Athena Election Observatory was described arsenic a timely measurement toward promoting evidence-based advocacy, autarkic monitoring, and innovation successful electoral governance.
The station Fix INEC earlier 2027, Soludo, Dauda, Aregbesola, Chidoka archer FG appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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