News
Parties Move Against President Over INEC Chair, Commissioners Appointment
Nigeria’s registered political parties, under the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), have proposed the creation of an independent body to appoint the chairman, national commissioners and secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The move, they said, would strengthen the commission’s neutrality and enhance the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.
The proposal was presented by IPAC national chairman, Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, at a consultative meeting between political party leaders and the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review on Monday in Abuja.
The call comes amid mounting pressure on the National Assembly to pass key electoral reforms to ensure transparency and credibility, especially in the appointment of the INEC chairman ahead of the 2027 general election.
Represented by his deputy, Dipo Olayoku, Dantalle said the current system, which allows the president to appoint INEC leadership, undermines public confidence and the commission’s independence.
“To promote INEC’s neutrality, the power to appoint its leadership should be removed from the executive. Instead, an Independent Appointment Committee should be created, comprising representatives of all registered parties, civil society, the National Judicial Council and a joint committee of the National Assembly,” he said.
He added that such inclusivity would enhance transparency and credibility in appointing INEC’s leadership.
IPAC’s position echoes earlier calls by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan for reforms to guarantee credible electoral leadership. In a recorded address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, Obasanjo described the 2023 elections as “a travesty,” urging urgent reform to rebuild public trust.
He said INEC’s leadership must be thoroughly vetted to ensure that only “dispassionate, non-partisan actors with impeccable reputations” are appointed, and recommended short tenures for electoral officials to prevent undue influence and corruption.
Jonathan also urged a new process for appointing the next INEC chairman, proposing an independent screening and nomination mechanism to strengthen the commission’s credibility ahead of the 2027 polls. Jonathan, represented by Ms Ann Iyonu, executive director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, made the call late August in Abuja at the public presentation of the National Action Plan for Electoral Reforms organised by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought.
The intervention comes at a sensitive moment: the tenure of the current INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, is due to expire before the end of the year. Yakubu, who oversaw the 2019 and 2023 polls, has served two terms, and the choice of his successor is already generating quiet speculation. With President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expected to seek re-election in 2027, analysts say whoever emerges as the next INEC chair will play a decisive role in shaping the credibility of that contest.
Beyond the appointment process, Jonathan had also revived an earlier proposal for the establishment of an independent office of the registrar of political parties to regulate party operations, promote internal democracy and enforce discipline. He suggested that such an office should have the power to declare the seat of any defector vacant, arguing that the electoral mandate belongs to the people, not individual ambition.
Like IPAC, Obasanjo and Jonathan, the European Union (EU) also recently warned that Nigeria risks repeating the shortcomings of the 2023 general elections if reforms are not concluded before 2027.
Barry Andrews, member of the European Parliament and former chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission for the 2023 polls, told a press conference in Abuja last week that progress on electoral reform had been “modest at best, dangerously close to stagnation.”
“Unless these reforms are concluded within the next few months, there is a risk of repeating the serious shortcomings of 2023,” he warned.
The mission listed six critical reforms, including transparent INEC appointments, election result transparency, women’s representation, creation of an Electoral Offences Commission, constitutional reforms to give INEC a stable legal framework, and protection of media freedom.
Victor Osimhen’s partner Stefanie Ladewig has reportedly been involved a motor accident.
According to report, that accident involved three vehicles, with Osimhen’s girlfriend driving one of the cars.
Report said the motor accident happened in Eyüpsultan,Turkey on Wednesday morning when Ladewig was on her way to the hospital.
Although there was no indication that she was at fault, Ladewig was reportedly driving an SUV on her way to the hospital before hitting two other vehicles in the accident.
However, the 26-year-old, who is eight months pregnant with her second child, was unhurt, along with the other people involved, according to the report.
Osimhen and Ladewig have known each other since they met in 2019, when the Super Eagles star was at Wolfsburg and she was a cheerleader.
The two started dating shortly afterwards and have never looked back, even though they are not officially married.
They also have a daughter, Hailey, who was born in October 2022, when Osimhen was still playing for Serie A giants Napoli.
The German-Cameroonian model also recently celebrated Hailey, who turned four, with a story post on her Instagram page.
Hailey herself also turned 26 last month, although she appeared to have had a low-key celebration this year.
Three employees of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, Oyo State, have regained their freedom six days after they were abducted by gunmen while working on a farm within the institute’s premises.
The victims were identified as Eunice Babalola, Kehinde Gbalajobi and another employee known as Nelson.
They were kidnapped last Thursday when armed men stormed the farm at about 1pm and whisked them away to an undisclosed location.
Sources familiar with the incident said the abductors initially demanded N40 million for each of the victims before the ransom demand was allegedly reduced to N50 million for all three workers following negotiations.
The workers regained their freedom in the early hours of Wednesday after security operatives traced them to a bush near Globus Farm, also known as Triton.
The Oyo State Police Command confirmed the rescue but did not disclose whether any ransom was paid to secure their release.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said security agencies were continuing efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the abduction.
The rescue came amid ongoing efforts by security operatives to track down the suspected kidnappers and bring them to justice.
Motorists plying the deteriorating Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway are expected to face temporary traffic disruptions as the Lagos State Government begins a 35-day rehabilitation of damaged sections from Bonny Camp to Admiralty Way Junction and around Victoria Garden City (VGC) tomorrow.
The government said traffic diversion arrangements would be introduced to minimise congestion and ensure the safety of road users during the exercise.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola, disclosed this yesterday at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to discuss the scope of work and traffic management plans for the project.
Daramola said the meeting was part of the government’s policy of consulting residents, businesses and other road users before embarking on major infrastructure projects, adding that feedback from stakeholders would inform the implementation process.
He appealed for the cooperation of residents and motorists, particularly as Lagos prepares for increased traffic during the festive season.
The rehabilitation is expected to improve road safety and ease movement along the strategic corridor, which connects residential communities, commercial centres and major industrial investments across the Lekki-Epe axis.
The expressway provides access to the Lekki Free Zone, Dangote Refinery, Dangote Fertiliser Factory, Lekki Deep Sea Port and Eleganza Industrial Estate. It also serves major housing developments and educational institutions, including Pan-Atlantic University and Lagos Business School.
However, rapid urbanisation, growing commercial activities and increasing traffic have accelerated the deterioration of some sections, leaving commuters struggling with difficult journeys along the busy route.
Daramola said the government was also addressing drainage concerns along the corridor, adding that the proposed Green Line rail project would form part of a broader plan to improve transportation infrastructure in the area.
-
Health & Wellness1 year agoPresident Tinubu Directs Cut in Dialysis Cost from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000
-
News2 years ago
CBN Debunks Fake Circular on New ₦5,000 and ₦10,000 Notes
-
International News7 months agoIndian Police Arrest Nigerian Over ₦290m Drug Haul
-
Business7 months agoDangote Refinery Reduces Petrol Gantry Price To ₦1,200 Per Litre
-
Business7 months agoAfter Plea Bargain, Court Discharges Stella Oduah of ₦2.5bn Fraud
-
Business2 years ago
Dangote; We Did Not Fix ₦600/Litre Petrol Price
-
Trending News1 year agoNELFUND Disburses ₦86bn To 449,000 Beneficiaries
-
Opinion2 years agoChampioning the People’s Voice: Obasa’s Dedication to Grassroots Representation By Dave Agboola⁰