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President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fierce criticism and accused of compromising the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for appointing card-carrying members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as Resident Electoral Commissioners.
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations including the Director, International Press Centre, said the nominee from Sokoto was an APC governorship aspirant in 2015 whilst the nominee for Enugu is alleged to be the younger sister of the APC Deputy National Chairman, South-East.
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations including the Director, International Press Centre, said the nominee from Sokoto was an APC governorship aspirant in 2015 whilst the nominee for Enugu is alleged to be the younger sister of the APC Deputy National Chairman, South-East.Likewise, the CSOs said the nominee for Imo, a former Head of ICT at INEC in Imo, is infamous for alleged corruption and connivance with politicians to undermine elections whilst the nominee for Ebonyi, a former Accountant-General in Ebonyi State, was suspended on allegations of incompetence and corruption in 2016..
This is not the first time the President will politicise the appointment of INEC officials. In 2020, the President nominated his aide on social media, Lauretta Onochie, as an INEC commissioner to represent Delta State. He later replaced her after an outrage condemning his decision.
Also, in October 2019, a self-confessed APC member in Osun State, Olalekan Raheem, was nominated as a resident electoral commissioner by the President though the Senate later rejected the nominee.
“Nigerians are watching to see how the APC government intends to smuggle its members into INEC top organs to allegedly circumvent the process in favour of the ruling party which intends to perpetuate itself into power after failing Nigerians in all ramifications.”
Ondomind
