Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the urgent appointment of credible leadership within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore electoral integrity in Nigeria. Obasanjo made this call during a recorded video address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on the weekend.
Obasanjo emphasized the need for thorough vetting of the INEC chairman and their staff, insisting that the vetting process must identify non-partisan, dispassionate individuals with impeccable reputations. He stressed that the integrity of the electoral process depends on the independence and incorruptibility of the leadership at all levels of INEC. “The INEC chairperson must not only be absolutely above board but also transparently independent and incorruptible,” Obasanjo stated, underlining the importance of this step in rebuilding public trust in Nigeria’s electoral systems.
The former president described the 2023 Nigerian elections as a “travesty,” highlighting the electoral challenges as a key reason why reforming the electoral system has become a top priority for the country. He argued that electoral interference must be prevented, with mechanisms in place to protect elections from both foreign and local malicious influences. Obasanjo’s call for reform also touched on the need for clear financial regulations to govern political campaigns, ensuring transparency and compliance with the law.
Further, Obasanjo stressed the importance of securing the electoral infrastructure. He proposed that ahead of future elections, Nigeria should conduct a transparent, internationally witnessed exercise to test the integrity of the election system and its infrastructure. He also emphasized the need for better physical security for voters and election officials, stating that the security forces must be trained to protect citizens, not engage in electoral malfeasance.
Additionally, Obasanjo called for enhanced ballot security to prevent unauthorized access or tampering, including secure storage and transportation of ballots to collation centers. Obasanjo criticized INEC for failing to implement key technological measures, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal, during the 2023 elections. These technologies, touted by INEC’s chairman, were not used properly, contributing to widespread irregularities. He likened the failure to “inviting the fox into the hen house,” a clear reference to the compromised integrity of the election process.
In his closing remarks, Obasanjo called for the introduction of post-election audits and transparent processes to build trust and comfort among all stakeholders. He warned that when politicians can manipulate election outcomes and use the courts as a last resort, it undermines the democratic process.
“Politicians corruptly getting themselves declared as winners in an election where votes do not matter and then asking the declared loser to go to court where justice cannot be assured is the easiest way to kill electoral democracy,” he concluded, stressing the need for reform to ensure a fairer and more transparent electoral system.
