Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has stressed the need for an amendment of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022 to effectively disallow the President of the country from appointing the Chairman and Commissioners of the nation’s electoral body.
Jega also proposed that the law should be reviewed to ensure all cases arising from the conduct of elections are resolved, judgements delivered and completely done with before the swearing-in date.
This is as he also canvassed that the electronic transmission of election results should be made mandatory from the 2027 general polls if the confidence of the people in the electoral system is not to be eroded with dire consequences for democracy in the country.
Prof Jega, who stated these while speaking at a two-day retreat organised for senators by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state, noted that while the Nigeria’s electoral law could be said to be the best in the nation’s history, it was not however perfect, therefore the need further critical amendments in order to remove some ambiguities, clarify and strengthen some of the provisions.
The former INEC Chairman specifically said there was the need for the president to be divested of power to appoint the chairman and national Commissioners of INEC in order to free the commission from partisanship.
Majority of the participants at the workshop and other stakeholders, had expressed concern, saying that Section 64 of the Electoral Act, which states the process of transmission of election results, is susceptible to manipulation and misinterpretation.
However, Jega canvassed that the Section should be given clarity by stating in unambiguous terms that results of elections shall be transmitted electronically including uploading of polling unit level results and result sheets used at different levels of result collation.
He said that INEC would have enough time to prepare for such an arrangement if the Act is amended early enough in the ensuing electoral cycle.
