Nigeria’s Electoral System Under Scrutiny Amid Claims of Widespread Rigging
A former Nigerian senator, Ikechukwu Obiorah, has alleged that over 90 percent of elections held in the country since independence have been rigged or perverted. According to Obiorah, this has led to mass poverty and underdevelopment in Nigeria. The lawyer and former member of the National Assembly made these claims in a statement titled “The Philosophy of Elections and Nigeria’s Fake Democracy.”
Obiorah, who represented Anambra South Senatorial district from 2007 to 2011, attributed the lack of honest, transparent, and fair elections to the country’s problems. He proposed a constitutional amendment to address the issue, suggesting that the power to appoint members of electoral bodies, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), be taken away from the President and governors.
Instead, Obiorah recommends establishing a neutral body to oversee the appointment of electoral commissioners. He has already submitted a proposed bill to the Senate and House of Representatives. The former senator believes that had Nigerians been allowed to freely elect their leaders since 1960, the country would now be a fully developed nation by first-world standards.
Obiorah’s proposal includes the establishment of a new, independent INEC composed of 13 commissioners. Six of these commissioners would be elected by Nigerian labor and professional organizations, while six would be nominated by the United Nations and one by Transparency International. This new INEC would have the power to elect and remove its chairman and hire and fire staff, including the chief executive officer.
The proposed system aims to ensure the neutrality and integrity of electoral bodies, which Obiorah believes is essential for free and fair elections. He also stressed the importance of making the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results via the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) legally mandatory. However, he noted that these systems are vulnerable to manipulation without the electoral bodies’ neutrality and integrity.
Obiorah’s proposal has significant implications for Nigeria’s electoral system and its potential to address the country’s development challenges. The establishment of a neutral and independent electoral commission could help to restore trust in the electoral process and ensure that the will of the people is reflected in the outcome of elections. As Nigeria continues to grapple with issues of poverty and underdevelopment, the implementation of reforms such as those proposed by Obiorah could be a crucial step towards a more democratic and prosperous future.
