Lagos LP urges INEC chair, Amupitan to uphold electoral Integrity, transparency

The Lagos State Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party has expressed involvement successful the caller assignment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) arsenic the caller Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

While acknowledging the law authorization of the President to marque the appointment, the enactment emphasised that the determination presents a captious infinitesimal to reaffirm Nigeria’s request for a genuinely autarkic and transparent electoral system.

In a connection by the Lagos State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Labour Party, Rotimi Odunaike, connected Thursday, October 16, the enactment noted that Professor Amupitan assumes bureau astatine a clip erstwhile nationalist spot successful the electoral process is “at a important low.”

The controversies surrounding the 2023 wide elections and the tenure of the erstwhile INEC leadership, the connection said, person near galore Nigerians questioning the credibility and fairness of the country’s democracy.

The Labour Party highlighted the views of absorption parties and civilian nine organisations, saying determination is simply a wide request for an electoral umpire who is not lone perceived arsenic autarkic but is “demonstrably so.”

The enactment besides raised concerns astir the opaque quality of the assignment process, which bypassed the recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee for a much unfastened and merit-based selection.

While affirming that the enactment has nary objection to Professor Amupitan arsenic an individual, noting his distinguished world and ineligible career, it stressed that the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral strategy indispensable trust connected organization integrity, transparency, and accountability.

“The existent trial of Professor Amupitan’s enactment volition beryllium his quality to emergence supra governmental pressures and present elections that are free, fair, and credible,” the connection said.

The Labour Party urged Professor Amupitan to presumption his assignment arsenic a “call to service the Nigerian people, not the interests of immoderate governmental enactment oregon individual.”

The connection reads: “The Lagos State Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party has been pursuing the caller assignment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) arsenic the caller Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with keen interest. While we admit the law prerogative of the President to marque this appointment, we judge it is simply a captious infinitesimal to reiterate our unwavering committedness to a genuinely autarkic and transparent electoral process successful Nigeria. Professor Amupitan’s assignment comes astatine a clip erstwhile nationalist spot successful our electoral strategy is astatine a important low.

“The controversies surrounding the 2023 wide elections and the tenure of the erstwhile INEC enactment person near galore Nigerians questioning the credibility and fairness of our antiauthoritarian process.

“It is successful this discourse that we presumption the assignment of a caller INEC Chairman not conscionable arsenic a regular administrative change, but arsenic a pivotal determination that volition signifier the aboriginal of our democracy. We person taken enactment of the views expressed by assorted stakeholders, including absorption parties and civilian nine organizations. The statement is clear: Nigerians request an electoral umpire who is not lone perceived arsenic autarkic but is demonstrably so.

“The concerns raised astir the opaque quality of the assignment process, which bypasses the recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee for a much unfastened and merit-based selection, are valid and indispensable beryllium addressed. As a party, we are not opposed to the idiosyncratic of Professor Amupitan, a distinguished world with a notable vocation successful law.

“However, we indispensable emphasise that the credibility of our electoral strategy cannot remainder connected the credentials of an idiosyncratic alone. It indispensable beryllium built connected a instauration of organization integrity, transparency, and accountability. The existent trial of Professor Amupitan’s enactment volition beryllium his quality to emergence supra governmental pressures and present elections that are free, fair, and credible. The contiguous task earlier the caller INEC Chairman is to rebuild the battered assurance of the Nigerian electorate.

“This tin lone beryllium achieved done a bid of factual actions, including: • Strengthening the INEC Res...