Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for significant reforms in Nigeria’s electoral process, urging immediate changes to enhance transparency and public confidence.
At the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University in the United States, Obasanjo specifically recommended the removal of Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), along with other officials across various levels of the commission.
Reflecting on the 2023 general elections, which he described as a “travesty,” Obasanjo stressed the need for electoral reforms to restore the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic processes.
Obasanjo proposed shorter terms for INEC officials, alongside a more stringent vetting process to prevent the appointment of individuals with political biases.
He emphasized, “It is essential to rigorously assess the INEC Chairperson and staff to ensure they are non-partisan individuals with unblemished records.”
He further advocated for appointing new, reliable INEC leaders at all administrative levels—from federal to local—and suggested that shorter terms could limit political influence and corruption, ultimately rebuilding public trust in the electoral system.
Obasanjo also criticized INEC’s failure to employ crucial technologies, namely the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), in the 2023 presidential election.
These tools had been promoted by Yakubu for their potential to enhance election accuracy and transparency. However, according to Obasanjo, INEC’s decision not to use these technologies led to widespread irregularities in the voting process.
“These innovations were heralded as transformative for ensuring the integrity of our elections,” Obasanjo remarked.
“However, INEC deliberately chose not to implement them, opening the door to electoral manipulation. It was, in essence, a case of letting the fox into the henhouse.”