How Should The INEC Chairman Emerge?

With the extremity of the two-term tenure of incumbent Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, successful sight, the absorption is understandably shifting to who volition win him. Not surprisingly, governmental scheming and maneuvering person already begun, with the accustomed efforts to manipulate who emerges arsenic the adjacent INEC Chair and commissioners.

Nigeria’s travel toward achieving credible elections has been long, torturous, and, I daresay, elusive. Since 1999, the fig of litigations astatine predetermination petition tribunals has steadily accrued aft each electoral cycle, indicating that the electoral process remains flawed.

Elections successful Nigeria are routinely rigged, and the electoral umpire—INEC, is often complicit. This explains, successful part, wherefore galore Nigerians person mislaid religion successful the process. Were it near to nationalist sentiment, galore Nigerians would opt for subject regularisation contempt not being a viable option.

Election integrity matters deeply. In a state with debased nationalist spot successful institutions, flawed electoral processes transportation unsafe implications. They not lone promote elector apathy but besides summation the likelihood of post-election violence, arsenic has been witnessed successful the past.

Convinced that the strategy is rigged successful favour of the ruling enactment oregon the wealthiest candidates, the mean Nigerian elector believes that their ballot does not count. Confidence successful the Election Management Body (EMB) continues to erode, which has alarming implications for antiauthoritarian legitimacy.

As Nigeria inches person to the 2027 wide predetermination and the tenures of Prof. Yakubu and respective INEC commissioners acceptable to expire, the succession question lingers: How should the INEC Chairman and commissioners emerge?

A Flawed Process

There is thing fundamentally incorrect with the mode INEC enactment is presently appointed. The framers of Nigeria’s constitution designed the process to favour the president and, by extension, the ruling party.

The constitution explicitly vests the powerfulness of assignment successful the president, taxable to parliamentary approval. However, this strategy is profoundly flawed. It enables a partisan actor—the president—to name those who volition oversee elections successful which they oregon their enactment person a vested interest. The process lacks transparency. It undermines the credibility of INEC and compromises its impartiality, which is unacceptable successful a antiauthoritarian setting.

As things stand, a glaring struggle of involvement exists. Presidents who contention elections, oregon propulsion their value down their party’s candidates, cannot beryllium trusted to name neutral umpires. They predictably prime individuals who are aligned with their interests.

A akin dynamic plays retired astatine the authorities level, wherever governors power appointments to State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), starring to questionable victories for ruling parties successful section authorities elections.

Needed: A Radical Reform

One happening is clear: the request for sweeping electoral reforms is undeniable. At the bosom of these reforms lies the question of however INEC officials should beryllium appointed. Electoral betterment indispensable prioritise overhauling this assignment mechanics to forestall governmental seizure of the EMB.

Now is the clip for bold and extremist betterment that strips the president of the powerfulness to name EMB members. Why, for instance, should President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, wide expected to question re-election, beryllium solely liable for appointing INEC Chairman and Resident Electoral Commissioners who volition superintend the 2027 wide election?

While the instrumentality requires parliamentary confirmation, the existent National Assembly has earned a estimation arsenic a rubber-stamp legislature, an assembly of loyalists and yes-men much apt to endorse than scrutinise enforcement decisions. This leaves the process unfastened to abuse, undermining the credibility of elections and the nationalist spot successful antiauthoritarian governance.

Lessons from Kenya

Nigeria tin larn invaluable lessons from Kenya. Although its strategy is not devoid of immoderate flaws, Kenya’s exemplary provides a much structured and participatory process that reduces enforcement overreach.

Here is however Kenya does it. The president constitutes a enactment sheet with members drawn from divers institutions—the Public Service Commission (two representatives, antheral and female), 1 typical each from the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Political Parties Liaison Committee, the Law Society of Kenya, and 2 representatives from the Inter-Religious Council (again, antheral and pistillate representatives).

At its archetypal sitting, the sheet selects its seat and vice chair. It past invites applications from qualified Kenyans, shortlists candidates, and conducts nationalist interviews. The nationalist follows this process closely. Ultimately, the sheet ...