The reappointment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chairman, Dr. Mahmood Yakubu, for the second term in office for five years, did not come to many Nigerians as a surprise. This is because, everyone appointed to positions of authority by this government under President Muhammad Buhari, since 2015, have remained in the office or have had their appointments renewed without recourse to the public outcry that some individuals in this government should be dropped or changed for others that have fresh ideas to come in. The face of Dr. Mahmood Yakubu is no longer new in the political landscape of Nigeria, being the electoral umpire himself.
We must not forget that the 2015 general elections which shot Dr. Mahmood to limelight unfortunately was roundly criticized by well-meaning Nigerians and various Civil Society Groups who believed that, the elections that brought this government to power was flawed at different fronts beginning from the federal, states and local government levels across the country. Up till this moment, Nigerians still believe that Democracy, 21 years down the line is still at the infancy stage if not an aberration since the people, right from 1999 when democracy was enthroned have not been allowed to freely and willingly choose those that would govern them, owing to the compromise of the officials even the institution, that is saddled with the responsibility of conducting free and fair elections in the country. Today, the society has produced a political class, that represents themselves, and not the people because, they were not truly elected but instead rigged their way through, resulting to the hue and cry today owing to lack of development, both human and material, which democratic governance is supposed to engender.
The inability of INEC over the years to evolve a mechanism of free and fair elections pointedly has cast a dark shadow on our political process, resulting to many querying if INEC is truly independent or an appendage of Mr. President, that appoints whoever that occupies that office. The calls for electoral reforms by pressure groups, Civil Right Societies and other stakeholders on political issues have continued unabated. No thanks to the sharp splits noticeable across our political divides, which has led the people to believe more on their ethnic and religious inclinations than what the State could offer them as in good governance. However, the dampened morale of the Nigerian voters who also had demonstrated apathy during elections in the past somehow was rekindled following the outcome of Edo governorship election which many believed that, the people votes truly counted. INEC too, was commended for a good job by many Nigerians and also was challenged to do even better in future elections. INEC, having woken from its slumber, given the peaceful, credible and fair elections in Edo and Ondo states recently, the second coming of Dr. Mahmood Yakubu, willy-nilly may usher in new lease of life in the political terrain in Nigeria, drawing lessons from the mistakes of the past.
Currently, in Nigeria democracy is yet to find its bearing, compared with other comity of nations that practices the same form of governments. This is because the system allows fraud and manipulations without any political will to deal with the monster. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has a major role to play under the present circumstance in strengthening our democratic values and practices through transparent processes on everything about elections in the country. As 2023 draws near, when it is expected that Nigeria would conduct yet another general elections, it would not be early now for the electoral body to begin to plan on how the country would transit peacefully to yet another democratic dispensation. The peaceful and credible conduct of the impending 2023 general elections holds much for the unity and peaceful co-existence in the country that is deeply divided along ethnic, tribal and religious lines. INEC cannot afford to toy with these realities, staring everyone in the face at present. As we congratulate the INEC boss, Dr. Mahmood Yakubu for his reappointment by Mr. President, for the second term in office, we therefore make bold to say here also that “to whom much is given, much is expected”. It is our belief that the God given opportunity would be utilized by your office to bequeath to Nigerians more deserving electoral process that would not only endure but enthrone equitable and egalitarian society where everyone’s vote counts and no more for the highest bidder as it had always been in our society. Re
