Hot SourceA non-profit organization, Yiaga Africa, says the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has left behind a weak electoral commission despite introducing significant reforms during his ten years in office.
The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, stated this on Wednesday when he appeared as a guest on ‘The Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television.
Itodo said while Yakubu made remarkable contributions to the electoral process, political interference weakened the Commission’s independence.
“You cannot wish away that Professor Mahmood introduced remarkable reforms. We are yet, as a country, to maximise the utility and potential of those reforms because of the actions of our politicians.
“But I think that one thing that Professor Mahmood leaves behind to a large extent is a weak INEC, weak to the extent that there is a lot of political interference with the functions of INEC,” he said.
According to him, partisan appointments and external influence in the Commission’s affairs undermined the credibility of elections, adding that such interference affected public trust and confidence in the system.
However, Itodo also acknowledged Yakubu’s major achievements, particularly the adoption of technology that transformed Nigeria’s elections.
He further praised Yakubu’s commitment to inclusion, noting INEC’s efforts to involve women, youths and persons living with disabilities in the electoral process.
