…as IPAC proposes independent body to appoint new INEC chair
A National Commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission, May Agbamuche-Mbu, on Tuesday, took over as the Acting Chairman of the Commission.
This followed the formal handover of duties by Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who is proceeding on a terminal leave.
Yakubu, who was appointed in 2015, spent two terms of five years each, in office.
On Tuesday, he handed over to May Agbamuche, a National Commissioner of the commission in acting capacity.
The immediate past INEC boss appealed to his former colleagues to cooperate with the Acting chairman pending the appointment of a substantive head.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to name a new INEC chairman any moment from now.
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Appointment of a new INEC Chairman is expected to be one of the main issues to be discussed at the forthcoming Council of State meeting slated for later this week.
Meanwhile, registered political parties under the aegis of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have proposed the establishment of an independent body to appoint the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its National Commissioners, and Secretary to ensure neutrality and strengthen Nigeria’s electoral integrity.
IPAC National Chairman, Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, made this proposal during a consultative meeting between leaders of political parties and the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review held at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja, on Monday.
Dantalle, who was represented by his deputy, Dipo Olayoku, said the current system where the President appoints the INEC Chairman and other key officials compromises the commission’s independence and fuels public distrust.
He said, “To promote the independence of INEC, the power to appoint the Chairman, Secretary and National Commissioners should be removed from the executive.
“Instead, an Independent Appointment Committee (IAC) should be established, composed of representatives from all registered political parties, civil society organisations, the National Judicial Council, and a committee of the National Assembly drawn from both the majority and minority caucuses.”
According to him, such an arrangement will ensure inclusivity, transparency, and credibility in the process of appointing the leadership of the nation’s electoral umpire.