Sack INEC chairman now, Obasanjo tells Tinubu

5 days ago 5

Former Nigerian president and African Union envoy Olesegun Obasanjo arrives for the signing of the AU-led negotiations to resolve the conflict in northern Ethiopia, in Pretoria , South Africa, November 2, 2022.

Olusegun Obasanjo, a former President of Nigeria has called for the sack of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other key staff of the commission.

Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, Yale University, in the United States, Obasanjo said it is important that the country’s electoral agency is totally overhauled.

Staying that the last election held in 2023 was a disaster, the former President said there is a need to restore trust in the electoral system of the country.

He also called for a reduction in the years spent as INEC chairman and key officials to prevent the continuous appointment of individuals who are partisan into the electoral body.

His words, “As a matter of urgency, we must ensure the INEC Chairperson and their staff are thoroughly vetted.

“Nigeria must ensure the appointment of new credible INEC leadership at the federal, state, local government, and municipal – city, town, and village – levels, with short tenures to prevent undesirable political influence and corruption, and to re-establish trust in the electoral system by its citizens,” Obasanjo stated.