Honest elections impossible in Nigeria – Muslim group backs Senator Obiorah on INEC reform

The National Muslim Youth Association, NMYA, an alumni of Muslim Tertiary Students Association, has declared that honest elections are impossible in Nigeria with the President and the governors continuing to wield the power of appointing chairmen and members of electoral bodies.

The association said this on Monday at a press conference addressed by its President, Abdulraham Aliyu along with several other members in Abuja.

While aligning itself with the position of Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah, who had already forwarded a bill seeking to take away the power of appointing chairmen and members of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and State Independent Electoral Commission, SIECs, from the President and governors respectively, the association maintained that it is necessary to amend the constitution towards establishing a new INEC.

The association called on the National Assembly to consider and pass Senator Obiorah’s draft Bill for the amendment of the Constitution for the Establishment of the new INEC and thereafter to work with the State Assemblies and the Presidency to bring the proposed amendment to fruition.

The Muslim association argued that Bimodal Voters Accreditation System, BVAS, and INEC results viewing, IReV, portal would not solve the problem of election rigging in Nigeria without the impartiality and integrity of the electoral body as those two systems are vulnerable to manipulation.

The NMYA stressed that it has become necessary to amend the nation’s constitution towards establishing a new INEC, composed by independently and neutrally appointed commissioners and officers to ensure competence, impartiality, integrity and hence, free and fair elections.

The association said, “We are saddened to confirm that this ravaging poverty in today’s Nigeria disproportionately affects the youths. Presently, about 50 to 60 million youths across the nation are unemployed or underemployed. It is patently obvious that we the Nigerian youths are wallowing in extreme and excruciating poverty.

“Meanwhile, due to the prevalence of rigged and dishonest elections, Nigerian political leaders have no compulsion or nor incentive to give the people good governance, and yet, they cannot be held accountable by the people, hence the pulverizing hardship in the land.

“We agree with Senator Obiorah that honest elections are impossible in Nigeria with the President and the Governors continuing to wield the power of appointing the electoral bodies, since they or their political parties are usually contestants in the same elections. There is no doubt as Senator Obiorah posits, that BVAS and IReV would not solve the problem of election rigging in Nigeria without the impartiality and integrity of the electoral body as those two systems are vulnerable to manipulation.

“It has therefore become necessary to amend the constitution towards establishing a new INEC, composed by independently and neutrally appointed commissioners and officers in order to ensure competence, impartiality, integrity and hence, free and fair elections.

“Consequently, we are happy to announce our endorsement of Senator Obiorah’s novel, fresh and bold proposal, to constitute the new INEC with thirteen commissioners, six of whom would be elected by the listed six Nigerian labour and professional organizations, and six commissioners nominated by the United Nations, and one commissioner – observer nominated by Transparency International.

“What stands out in Senator Obiorah’s proposed new INEC is the fact that it would be more difficult to bribe or intimidate such an internationally composed electoral body. More so, the infusion of international bureaucrats into the new INEC would make for better organized elections in which the secret ballot would indeed be secret therefore defeating vote buying.

“Nigeria would then also experience elections in which the use of non-manipulated BVAS and IReV would be enthroned, and in which proper organization and the electoral law would make it easy for millions of Nigerians in diaspora to vote. We observed in the course of exchange of views on Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah’s proposal, that some people were asking how could foreigners take part in organizing elections in Nigeria.

“Our answer to that question is that the foreigners under reference are the same foreigners who have from Nigeria’s independence been managing exclusively, the health care and hospitalizations of Nigeria’s political leaders, all Presidents, Military Heads of Government, Senate Presidents, Speakers, Governors, legislators, senior public officials, senior judicial officers, business elite and so on. Speakers, Governors, legislators, senior public officials, senior judicial officers, business elite and so on. And all because Nigeria does not have good hospitals due to bad governance made possible by rigged elections.

“We answer further, that it is the same foreigners who have given Nigeria, non-debt aid in the form cash transfer grants of upwards of $65 billion since independence. And that it is the same foreigners in Paris Club who gifted Nigeria over $18 billion dollars in debt forgiveness by which Nigeria wiped out and zeroed out its foreign indebtedness in 2006. Years of bad governance brought on by rigged elections have re-saddled Nigeria with about $50 billion in foreign debt.

“And still, our answer continues to make it clear that it is the same foreigners who build for the nation all complex infrastructural projects because Nigeria has not been able to develop indigenous skill and expertise in our long 65 years of independence. And most especially, it is the same United Nation (UN) which has been a significant, active and catalytic supporter and trusted partner in Nigeria’s development aspirations. It is the same UN that has been helping to strengthen Nigerian government institutions and capacity at all levels (federal, state, and local). The same UN helping Nigeria in the coordination and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and ensuring that our national plans are aligned with global targets on poverty eradication, climate action, and prosperity.

“In the face of crises, particularly the humanitarian situation in the North-East, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other agencies have led the mobilization of international support, providing life-saving assistance and working towards durable solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs).”

Honest elections impossible in Nigeria – Muslim group backs Senator Obiorah on INEC reform