Civil Society Organisations Call for Constitutional Amendment to Restrict Presidential Power in INEC Chairmanship Appointments

A constitutional amendment to strip the president of the power to appoint the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was proposed by civil society organisations (CSOs) ahead of Anambra State's November governorship election. The call was made at a sensitisation workshop organised by Yiaga Africa, a renowned democracy advocacy organisation, in Awka, Anambra State capital. The workshop aimed to enable CSOs to brainstorm on potential flaws that could affect the election's credibility. Yiaga Africa programme manager, Cynthia Mbamalu, explained that the workshop was to prepare CSOs to identify and highlight potential flaws in the electoral process.

Key Takeaways:

• Civil society organisations recommend the creation of a commission to recommend applicants for INEC chairman, composed of representatives from various professional organisations, such as the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigeria Medical Association, and others.
• The commission would screen and shortlist applicants and forward them to the National Assembly for a public hearing to choose the most qualified person for the INEC chairman position.
• The proposed candidate should not belong to any political party, should not be over 60 years old, and should demonstrate courage to reject pressure from higher authorities.
• The National Assembly should amend the electoral law to remove the president's power to appoint the INEC chairman before the 2027 general election.
• Members of the Yiaga Africa Board of Trustees, including Prof. Nnamdi Aduba, recommend reducing the huge amount of money controlled by political office-holders to curb vote-buying and thuggery.
• Yiaga Africa plans to deploy 250 observers under its Process and Result Verification for Transparency (PRVT) in polling units across 21 local governments in Anambra State to monitor the election.
• An additional 22 citizen observers will be deployed to reinforce the monitoring process on election day.
• The Yiaga Africa programme team has started sensitising the electorate at local government and ward levels to encourage massive participation in the election and discourage electoral malpractices.

Statistics:

• 250 observers will be deployed by Yiaga Africa to monitor the conduct of the polls in Anambra State.
• 22 additional citizen observers will be deployed on election day to enhance the monitoring process.
• The proposed commission for recommending INEC chairman applicants would be composed of representatives from at least 10 professional organisations.

Sources:

• Yiaga Africa programme manager, Cynthia Mbamalu.
• A member of the Board of Trustees, Yiaga Africa, Prof. Nnamdi Aduba.