By John Ogunsemore
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has thrown his weight behind the clamour to remove the power to appoint Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from the president.
Atiku made this known on Monday when he played host to a delegation of young Nigerians seeking electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
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The 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) revealed details of the meeting in a statement shared on X.
Atiku said, “This afternoon, I received a delegation of young Nigerians led by Pastor Ukpola O. Chinedu from the Nigeria Electoral Reform Coalition (NERCO).
“I could relate to the urgency in their demands that the National Assembly amend the current electoral act to make electronic transmission of results from polling units mandatory.
“They are deeply worried that the current Act, which left the mode of transmission of results at the discretion of INEC, negatively impacted the 2023 general elections.
“They informed me that the group is not only pressuring the National Assembly on mandatory electronic transmission of results but also on taking the powers of appointing INEC officials from the President, vesting it on a transparent recruitment process by citizens.
“These efforts, they said, are aimed at demanding that every vote counts in our elections.
“I agree with the group that demanding transparent and credible elections is the way to go.”
Atiku further expressed the firm belief that the full deployment of technology in Nigeria’s election process has become necessary, noting he “supports the call on the National Assembly to act with urgency as 2027 approaches”.
He called on both local and international organisations worried about the conduct of elections in Nigeria to sustain the pressure on the National Assembly until the needed electoral reforms are achieved.
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