Ahead of the 2023 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to withdraw alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
BASIC FACTS
- SERAP has asked President Buhari to withdraw APC members from names of REC norminess submitted to the Senate for confirmation.
- President Buhari recently submitted some names for confirmation as REC, amongst, which are persons identified as active members of the ruling APC.
- Some of civil society organisations such YIAGA Africa have protested against this move by the Buhari government, raising the alert that it is an attempt to take over and influence INEC for partisan gains.
WHAT WE KNOW
The socio-economic rights and accountability project (SERAP), has asked President, Mohammed Buhari to withdraw the members of his party APC whom he has included in names submitted to the Senate for confirmation, as Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even as the 2023 General elections draw near.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project made the call in a statement issued on Sunday by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The media had reported how President Buhari in a letter to the Senate on July 25, requested the confirmation of the 19 RECs for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, the rights group stated that at least four of the 19 nominees allegedly either belonged to a political party or had been previously indicted for corruption.
SERAP, therefore, wants Buhari to use his “leadership position to urgently withdraw the names of nominees recently submitted to the Senate for confirmation as Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission who are allegedly members of the All Progressives Congress.”
According to the group, the combined effect of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act and international standards is the requirement that elections must be organised by a truly independent and impartial electoral body.
SERAP had argued in the statement, that the Buhari-led government, has a legal responsibility to promote and guarantee the integrity, credibility, and independence of INEC, and to ensure that the electoral body is free from political and other interferences.
NOTABLE QUOTES
In the statement on Sunday, Kolawole Oluwadare argued that, “Withdrawing the names of those nominees who are allegedly members of the APC, and replacing them with people of unquestionable integrity and competence, and who are not members of any political party would improve the independence of INEC and promote public confidence in the appointment process,”
“As its name suggests, INEC is expected to maintain independence or absolute neutrality. INEC must not only be independent and impartial, but must also be seen to be independent and impartial.
“Promoting the independence of INEC, including by appointing people of unquestionable integrity and competence, and who are not members of any political party as RECs would be entirely be consistent with your constitutional oath of office, and your oft-stated promise to ensure free and fair elections in 2023.
“INEC ought to be independent and impartial in the exercise of its constitutional and statutory responsibilities.”
COMMENTARY
This is not the first time President Buhari will be submitting names of card carrying members of his party as members of INEC.
Clariform recalls that President Buhari had in the past also submitted the name Lauretta Onochie who was not only partisan and member of his ruling APC, but one of his social media attack dogs, who always threw caution to the wind in a bid to earn her pay from the government.
At the time, public outcry against such an embarrassing nomination wasn’t enough to deter a government that pre-2015 sold integrity and impeccability to Nigerians, until the Senate widely rejected that shameful nomination.
The Buhari’s government has set and continues to set new lows in disregard for rule of law, justice and empathy for the Nigerian people and cause.
Who would have thought that just a few months to February 2023, a government that claims to be planning a free and fair election could engage in submitting names of party members to form a party of INEC’s REC.
Even if these persons are angels who managed to join a political party, how would the government convince Nigerians and the international community of their neutrality?
Or what happened to that old axiom thought in the entry course to Nigerian legal system of justice not just been done but must be seen to be done?
At this point of this government and with the massive failure recorded on all front, this government need not make effort to convince us of it’s nonchalant attitude to Nigeria, rather, let them as a parting gift to Nigerians manage a free and fair election. That is not too much to ask for or to give to Nigerians.
