Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has restated the commitment of the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to free, fair and credible polls in the 2023 General Elections.
Fielding questions from State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Buhari in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, Mohammed dispelled the insinuations that the 2023 General Elections might not be free, fair and credible due to some extraneous factors especially appointments of people who were alleged to be partisan into the IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC).
But the Minister said that there were no indications that the forthcoming elections will not be credible, arguing that President Buhari had always insisted on free, fair and credible elections.
“Before we came into office it was almost impossible for the ruling party to lose elections in Nigeria but that has changed under President Muhammadu Buhari. This is because the President has insisted on free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria. And these could be seen in the governorship elections in Edo, Anambra, Ekiti states and recently in Osun state where the incumbent Governor lost the election.
“So there are no basis for anyone to express doubt that the 2023 General Elections will not be free, fair and credible. Mr. President has been clear on this and that will not change in 2023 General Elections,” Mohammed said.
On the alarm raised by CSOs and a cross-section of Nigerians that four INEC nominees sent the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari were card-carrying members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and also persons of questionable characters, the Minister asked those agitating against the nominees to keep their gun-powder dry until the NASS finished its job.
According to him, “I will want to advise the social media warriors and others opposing Mr. President’s INEC nominees to direct their case to the National Assembly whose duty it is to screen the nominees. Until then the call for the President to drop the nominees is quite misplaced.”
Meanwhile, a coalition of CSOs has been kicking against some of the nominees of the President who had failed the constitutional test of non-partisanship and unquestionable integrity.
They argued that evidence abounded that some of the nominees were either partisan, politically aligned, or previously indicted for corruption.
“To mention a few, Prof. Muhammad Lawal Bashir from Sokoto was a Governorship aspirant under the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2015 elections cycle. Mrs. Sylvia Uchenna Agu, the nominee for Enugu state, is believed to be the younger sister of the APC Deputy National Chairman, Southeast.
“The nominee for Imo State, Mrs. Pauline Onyeka Ugochi, a former Head of ICT at INEC in Imo state, gained notoriety for alleged corruption and connivance with politicians to undermine elections. Mrs Queen Elizabeth Agwu, a former Accountant-General of the Ebonyi, was suspended allegedly on the grounds of incompetence and corruption in 2016.
“We contend that the appointment of these individuals as RECs will significantly undermine the neutrality and impartiality of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and it will increase mistrust in INEC and Nigeria’s electoral process. By the combined effect of Section 156 (1)(a) and Third Schedule, Part 1, Item F, paragraph 14 (1), these individuals are constitutionally prohibited from any appointment as members of INEC.
“It will be against the sacred spirit of the Constitution to accept their nomination. Given their antecedent and close affinity with political parties, it is improbable that they will remain neutral and objective if successfully screened as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC).
“Additionally, we are constrained to observe that the appointments did not reflect the principles of non-discrimination and inclusivity that the Civil Society Community has and continues to advocate, particularly, in this instant case, with regard to Persons with Disability (PWDs) who represent about 15% of Nigeria’s population and have been completely left out of the process”, the CSOs submitted.
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