By AYO ESAN, ABUJA.
The Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership, Mr. Debo Adeniran, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and the Federal Government to reform the nation’s electoral process by implementing the recommendations of the European Union Election Observers’ team.
Speaking with our correspondent, Adeniran said he agreed with the EU team that lack of transparency and inconsistent figures during the collation of results by INEC cast a long spell over the integrity of the 2019 elections.
He said he further agreed that numerical discrepancies and anomalies on polling unit results forms were identified and were mostly corrected by collation officers on the spot, but without a clear system of record-keeping.
The CACOL boss said, based on the report by the European Union team, it was clear that Nigeria needed to reform its electoral system before the 2023 general elections, saying, however, that in doing this, the recommendations by EU could serve as a guide.
Adeniran said, “According to the European Union (EU) report, it was noted that such reform needs a political leadership that is dedicated to the rights of Nigerian citizens, and an inclusive process of national dialogue involving state institutions, parties, the civil society and the media. This needs to be urgently undertaken to allow time for debate, legislative changes and implementation, well in advance of the next elections. It was added that INEC should considerably strengthen its organisational and operational capacity as well as its internal communication, noting that the inter-agency body responsible for electoral security should work more transparently and inclusively with regular consultations with political parties and civil society. The mission said the seven areas of priorities for electoral reform included requirements in law for full results transparency with data easily accessible to the public.
“In similar spirit, we aver that the EU recommendation calling for the introduction of a legal requirement for parties to have a minimum representation of women among candidates, faulting the low number of female candidates for the polls is in good taste as it rhymes with the global policy of inclusiveness and affirmative action towards rebuilding the nation for progress and sanity.
“We agree, too, that election tribunals should cover pre-election cases in order to improve access to remedy and to avoid petitions being taken to different courts, all at the same time. One of the best ways of getting round the inevitability of these proposed reforms is for this government to consider the political reforms bill sent in by the last Legislature by dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s while it works with all Nigerian citizens, state institutions, parties, civil society, the media and other experts to make sure that these and other recommendations by the EU, other cognate institutions are implemented, and with areas of concern adequately addressed.”
