Politics

Beyond Nnamani’s Electoral Reform Committee

Published

9 years ago

October 21, 2016

In a bid to streamline the
electoral process of Nigeria, the federal government recently set up a 24-man committee headed by former President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani to handle the task of articulating how to reform the electoral process. The committee is to review existing electoral laws and past reports.
A statement by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami said “Chief Nnamani is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear on the reform process”, while the committee is expected to review electoral environment, laws and experiences from recent elections conducted in Nigeria and make recommendations to strengthen and achieve the conduct of free and fair elections in the country.
Among other things, the committee’s assignment which is expected to last for 16 weeks will review conflicting court judgments on legal disputes on past elections. The scope of the committee’s work reads in part, “Review the laws impacting elections in Nigeria, in relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution as (amended) and the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) to assess their impact and adequacy for the administration of elections in Nigeria.
“Review of recent judicial decisions on election petitions as they relate to conflicting judgments, absence of consequential orders, delay in issuing certified true copies of judgments, harmonization of the Electoral Act in view of the judgements with a view to enhancing the electoral process. “Review of the lessons learnt from the 2015 general elections and make recommendations for the improvement as they relate to the judicial decisions and experience from field operations.
“Identify and assess international best practices on electoral system relevant to Nigeria’s experience and identify best practices that would impact positively on the quality and credibility of the nation’s electoral process. Review the extent of the implementation of the recommendations of the 2008 Election Reform Commission headed by the Justice Muhammed Uwais and advise on outstanding issues for implementation”.
The decision by the Muhamadu Buhari-led administration to reform the country’s electoral system, to some Nigerians, may be a welcome development but to others, a misplaced priority considering the current economic quagmire in which we find ourselves. Electoral reform in Nigeria has always been seen as a wasteful exercise.
We all know that a similar committee headed by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), few years ago did the same job. The work done by the committee headed by Uwais in 2008 was hailed by many Nigerians but the reports has not seen the light of the day till date.
The Uwais reports focused on key issues about the nation’s electoral system including the recurring debate about how best the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) can be truly independent. The argument has always centered around whether or not the President should be allowed to appoint the Chairman of the electoral empire as entrenched in the constitution. This is because since the President is given the constitutional powers to appoint the chairman, the INEC can be partial when the President wants elections to be manipulated.
A university don and right crusader, Dr Ibrahim Dauda, in an interview explains why it is difficult for INEC to deliver free and fair election. “The truth is that since 2003, the body language of INEC has always showed that it can hardly go against the wish of the ruling party. That the 2015 presidential election was in favour of the opposition was because the incumbent President wanted it that way and not because the commission resisted manipulation by the Presidency. President Jonathan chose to do the right thing. Those who praised Jega’s INEC as being wonderful or performing well did that out of ignorance”.
In democracies, the choice of political leaders at all levels is made by competitive elections and in doing that, there must be some rules for translating peoples’ votes into a particular selection of the leaders. In any democratic state like Nigeria, rules are designed to determine which people win office, these rules are called the electoral system of the state. The rules are written with differences, spelling out all that is required to achieve free and fair election.
A nation’s electoral system can be reformed if it cannot guarantee credible elections at any given time. In the case of Nigeria, it is clear that the inability of INEC to conduct free and fair election is not a matter of wrong electoral process. It is a systemic failure that has undermined democracy in the country. The electoral umpire has denigrated its value and the people are fast losing confidence and interest in it.
This is why a one-time Deputy Speaker of the Rivers Sate House of Assembly, Hon. Iyk Oji, during an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt said that INEC’s poor performance makes it difficult for Nigerians to trust the commission. This is more so as they have not been able to efficiently conclude elections in any one state since its present leadership assumed office.
“It started from inconclusive to postponement, to no election. It’s a gradual degeneration as it were, Oji said, adding that “INEC is not ready to run an election as it is”.
He advised INEC to organize themselves and act in the interest of Nigeria and stop pandering to sectional and partisan considerations. “A situation where appointed officials of INEC function as apologist to those who appointed them instead of carrying out their constitutional duties professionally is worrisome.
The Nnamani committee should be able to consider and make strong recommendation on inconclusive, postponement and cancellation of elections. It is also important that the committee includes in the reform a recommendation that will make it mandatory for those seeking elective positions to participate in pre-election debates. The Senate, according to reports, is already working on a bill to that effect. The bill presented by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari has been read for second time and referred to the committee on Establishment and Public Service as well as committee on INEC.
During the 2015 presidential election, many irregularities were observed by Nigerians, especially in the Northern parts of the country where under-aged children who were not eligible to vote were glaringly noticed casting their votes in favour of the opposition APC, which is now the ruling party at the centre. The powers to appoint the chairman of INEC and chairman of state Electoral Commission as well as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) should be removed from the President and Governors.
Now that a new committee has been set up to reform the nation’s electoral process, it is worthwhile to invite all former chairmen of INEC like Humphrey Nwosu who was acclaimed the best in the conduct of 1993 general elections, to make their inputs, to say what happened during their days and the constraints they had. Nwosu has been known to have conducted the most credible elections in Nigeria.
The reform should take care of refusal by lawmakers or any other body to swear-in opposition candidates who win elections. Issues concerning independent candidature and electronic voting as well as snatching of ballot box and destruction of voting materials must be seriously looked into while our electoral system must be tailored towards the needs of our society.
The question on the lips of Nigerians is: If the reports of the Uwais-led committee were implemented, would the nation have had any need for electoral reforms now? The answer may be yes, may be no. for Uwais, the answer is the latter. This is why he accused the authorities of lacking the political will to implement his committee’s reports. He regretted that his committee’s report died on the altar of politics.
Uwais, while speaking at a dialogue on the review of the Electoral Law and process organized by the Policy and legal Advocacy Center (PLAC) in Abuja, noted that instead of implementing the recommendations of his committee holistically, the Federal Government decided to “pick and choose”. As he puts it, “As we know, the bill that was produced by the National Assembly, though reflected on some of the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Committee, but not all of these recommendations were adopted. As far as the Electoral Reform Committee was concerned, the recommendations were intended to be in tandem with one another”.
Now that the Nnamani committee has swung into action, it is expected that a thorough job would be done while the Federal Government must bear in mind that it is not just enough to set up such a body in motion, but the basic thing is the political will and interest to implement its reports and recommendations for the good of the nation’s democracy.

Shedie Okpara

Politics

Senate Urges Tinubu To Sack CAC Boss

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Senate yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, over what lawmakers described as a persistent refusal to appear before its Committee on Finance.

The resolution followed a motion raised by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu during a session where members of the President’s economic team were present for engagement with the committee.

Tension rose at the commencement of the meeting when agency heads were introduced and senators observed the absence of the CAC Registrar-General, who had been invited to account for the commission’s activities, particularly on revenue matters.

Moving the motion, Kalu expressed anger over what he termed repeated disregard for legislative oversight, accusing the CAC boss of consistently avoiding invitations to appear before the committee.

He said, “Since I came to the Senate, this CAC man has always given excuses that he is in the Villa or going to London. He is not above the law. This man is not coming to the Senate. Look at the ministers of finance and budget. They are both here. We summoned them and they came.

“But this man thinks he’s bigger than the Senate. We’re not going to take that rubbish again. He had refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee. We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.

“I move a motion that the man should be reported to Mr President and ask for immediate removal because we cannot continue with him. Is that what we’re doing here? He should come and give us an account of what he had done.”

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, corroborated the concerns, pointing to unresolved discrepancies in the reconciliation of the commission’s revenues.

He noted that despite several invitations, the registrar-general had failed to show up to address the issues raised by senators.

“The registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused on so many occasions to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee.

“There are only about three committees that are in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Committee of Finance is one of those committees. Sections 88, and 89 have given us these powers.

“And as registrar-general, we have issues with the reconciliation of their revenue. Anytime he is invited, he will give us one reason or another, and he will send junior officers to come and talk to the Senate. That cannot be accepted,” he said.

In a further show of frustration, Senator Adams Oshiomhole proposed that the Senate escalate the matter by withholding approval of the CAC’s 2026 budget pending the registrar-general’s personal appearance before the committee.

Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval of the national assembly.

“This senate should decline to appropriate anything in the 2026 budget until we are satisfied that he has accounted for previous money and spending properly.

“And should he spend money that is not appropriated, he should be heading to Kuje prison,” Oshiomhole said.

The motion urging the President to remove the CAC Registrar-General was subsequently put to a voice vote and adopted.

The development underscores renewed assertiveness by the Senate in exercising its constitutional oversight functions, particularly over revenue-generating agencies.

The Corporate Affairs Commission, which regulates companies and business registrations in Nigeria, is a key contributor to non-oil revenue, making accountability and transparency central to its operations.

News

Amend Constitution To Accommodate State Police, Tinubu Tells Senators

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police to tackle insecurity nationwide.

President Tinubu made the appeal during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

The president said that the creation of State Police has become urgent to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, strengthen grassroots policing, and enhance states’ capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.

He noted that a decentralised policing structure would complement existing federal security architecture and promote intelligence-led, community-focused law enforcement.

“We are facing terrorism, banditry, and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response to this cause. What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the State Police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear,” he said.

The president commended the cordial relationship between the Executive and the Senate, saying that unity is needed to defeat terrorism and banditry in the country.

“It is a good thing that we are working in harmony, we are looking forward to a country that evolves, a country that takes care of its citizens and protects all.

Tinubu thanked the Senate for its unflinching support towards achieving various economic reforms of his administration, especially the fuel subsidy removal and tax reform policy.

“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together. What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.

You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud, and I am glad you are. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me,” the president said.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the president for hosting the leadership of the Senate to the Interfaith breaking of fast.

He commended President Tinubu for providing the visionary leadership the nation needs at this critical time, stating that the administration’s bold reforms have now brought more revenue to governors at the sub-national level for the development of critical infrastructure.

The Senate President prayed for the administration, and for the nation’s peace and prosperity.

Politics

FCT COUNCILS’ ELECTIONS: PDP WINS GWAGWALADA CHAIRMANSHIP AS APC SECURES AMAC, BWARI

Published

6 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.

Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.

Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.

“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.

“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.

Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.

Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.

“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.

According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.

The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.

INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.

According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.

A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.

In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.

In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.

In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.

In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.

In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.