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Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu .PHOTO LUCY LADIDI ATEKO
Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has sought a better Electoral Act that addresses recruitment of National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) leadership for true autonomy ahead of the 2027 elections.
Addressing the press in Abuja, the politician recommended that the positions of INEC chair and national commissioners should be advertised.
He insisted that the proof of transparency should be on the electoral umpire, and not the petitioner.
Olawepo-Hashim maintained: “The issue of electoral reform is not the business for the opposition alone, it is the business for everyone, who loves Nigeria. If we don’t reform the process and elections can’t be delivered credibly, 2027 will be a war.
“We have to rescue the democratic process, because it is becoming meaningless. Why are we having coup d’etats all over Africa? It’s because people do not see any content in what we call democracy.
“In 1999, we won the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But who were those that asked for an independent electoral commission? We were the ones. We were not behaving like people, who were sure they were going to get power, because we were believers in democracy.
“So, Nigerians need believers in democracy across parties to survive, not APC and PDP. This is beyond APC, PDP. If we don’t ‘sort out’ the electoral system right now, and not six months to election, or one year, the 2027 election is going to be a war. Nobody will be going to court. So, we don’t want that now .
“Nigeria needs statesmen, not politicians. We don’t need politicians in the driver’s seat of the reform of our institutions. We need statesmen to speak up.”
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