Nigerians ‘ve lost confidence in electoral process —Itodo, Yiaga Africa boss

By Dickson Omobola

Samson Itodo, an predetermination perceiver and predetermination improvement expert, is the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa. In this interrogation monitored connected Politics Today, a Channels TV programme, helium spoke connected what President Bola Tinubu indispensable bash for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, arsenic the tenure of its Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, is coming to end.

Excerpts:

How important would this modulation be, not lone for INEC but for our elections?

It is precise important due to the fact that you are going to person a comparatively caller electoral committee that volition negociate the 2027 elections. You callback a fewer weeks ago, Yiaga Africa released our presumption of electoral integrity study for 2025, and 1 of the projections that we made was that the 2027 predetermination would astir apt beryllium the astir compromised and possibly the astir expensive. One of the reasons that we precocious was due to the fact that of this enactment modulation successful the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

If it is not managed carefully, if it is not managed from a statesman constituent of view, you could astir apt person the adjacent elections jeopardized due to the fact that citizens are not going to spot INEC. It is precise important due to the fact that Professor Mahmood Yakubu has been determination for 10 years. His exit volition permission a batch of vacuum due to the fact that you inquire yourself if a caller president is appointed whenever helium is, is determination capable clip for the president to settle? If you look astatine what information says, you spot the commissioners who are leaving adjacent twelvemonth and past those who are leaving connected the eve of the 2027 election. So, to a ample extent, it is rather significant. Do not hide that the level of spot of citizens successful the electoral process is besides astatine its lowest ebb. So, this is truly an accidental for the president, the Senate and the National Assembly to rebuild nationalist spot and assurance successful the electoral process.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu volition beryllium known arsenic the antheral who entrenched the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS and introduced the Election Result Viewing Portal, IReV. How would you reappraisal his clip arsenic INEC leader?

There person been singular reforms introduced successful the electoral process. To adhd to that, it was nether these 10 years that for the archetypal clip successful our history, ballot papers and effect sheets were produced locally. That happened successful the 2023 elections. Previously, we person ever printed our ballot papers and effect sheets extracurricular the country. This time, we printed them locally and that is thing we should encourage. Countries similar South Africa, for lawsuit people 100 per cent of their materials. In fact, they money their elections 100 per cent without taking wealth from anybody, but erstwhile you look astatine each these reforms that were introduced, nationalist spot successful the electoral process has really dampened due to the fact that of issues astir electoral fraud. You besides spot sabotage by different institutions wrong the predetermination governance architecture, but the information that we are really astatine a constituent wherever citizens spot successful the electoral process, that is thing that gives a root of concern.

There are immoderate reforms that helium (Yakubu) introduced that request to beryllium retained similar the technologies that you mentioned. Unfortunately, these aforesaid technologies introduced arsenic crippled changers are the aforesaid tools that are present being utilized to subvert the process. Do you hold that arsenic we deliberation astir retaining these tools, the adjacent INEC brag should taxable things similar the BVAS and IReV to autarkic audits?

What politicians person done, coupled with complicit INEC officials, is to leverage the aforesaid technologies to undermine the integrity of the process. There were besides a batch of missed opportunities. We anticipation that the adjacent INEC would larn from this successful particular. I deliberation astatine the bosom of it is that we request to rebuild nationalist spot and assurance successful the electoral process.

That is wherefore the assignment of the adjacent INEC president and nationalist commissioners is precise captious due to the fact that today, determination are partisan radical presently successful INEC. One of the atrocious legacies that the precocious President Muhammadu Buhari near connected our electoral process is however helium appointed individuals who person wide partisan in...