…Demands urgent reform
Veteran political activist and civil society leader, Dr. Usman Bugaje, has issued a blistering warning that Nigeria’s democracy is in grave danger unless urgent reforms are carried out to insulate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from political manipulation.
Bugaje, speaking on Sunday, declared that the electoral body has been “captured and compromised”, losing every shred of credibility under a system whereby the chairman is handpicked by the sitting president – who is himself a major contender in elections.
“Why should a president, who is an interested party, be the one to pick the referee?” Bugaje fumed.
“This is a blatant conflict of interest. We must rescue INEC before it drags the country into chaos”, he added.
According to him, no democracy can survive when the very institution charged with protecting the sanctity of the ballot is under the shadow of the presidency. He argued that Nigeria’s fragile stability is at risk if citizens continue to lose faith in the electoral process.
Bugaje called for sweeping constitutional amendments to ensure that INEC appointments are carried out by an independent panel drawn from the judiciary, civil society, and professional bodies, not the executive arm of government.
He warned that failure to reform the process would deepen public cynicism and fuel unrest:
“If Nigerians believe elections are already rigged before they cast their votes, then we are sitting on a time bomb. Credible elections are the foundation of peace and stability.”
Bugaje’s remarks add to mounting pressure on the Tinubu administration and the National Assembly to pursue far-reaching electoral reforms ahead of future polls.
