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A former lawmaker, Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah, has urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to remove the power of the President and State Governors to appoint members of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
Obiorah, who represented Anambra South Senatorial District between 2007 and 2011, made the call in a draft bill submitted to the legislature and in a paper he released in Abuja titled “The Philosophy of Elections and Nigeria’s Fake Democracy.”
He argued that entrusting appointment powers to elected politicians had entrenched electoral fraud and undermined governance. “Since Independence, 90 per cent of all elections — parliamentary, presidential, national assembly, governorship, house of assembly, and local government council — have been brazenly stolen, rigged, perverted, or altogether nullified,” he declared.
According to him, the practice of allowing Presidents and Governors to pick electoral officials is equivalent to “a person being a judge in his own case.” He said the consequence has been “Soviet-style election results” and a flood of litigationPrivate Draft Bill_The Senate President and others, further eroding public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
Obiorah’s bill proposes a restructured INEC made up of 13 commissioners. Six would be elected by recognised Nigerian labour and professional bodies, six nominated by the United Nations, and one observer-nominee drawn from Transparency International. The body would then elect its own chairman and have full autonomy to hire and dismiss staff as well as conduct all elections at federal, state, and local government levels.
Defending the role of international organisations, Obiorah dismissed concerns that the involvement of the UN and Transparency International would compromise Nigeria’s sovereignty. “It reflects our voluntary commitment to curb corruption and strengthen electoral integrity,” he said.
The former Senator also pressed for mandatory use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) and electronic transmission of results via the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV). But he cautioned that technology could only serve its purpose if the electoral body itself was neutral and credible.
Obiorah expressed confidence that the reforms would create the foundation for economic recovery and democratic consolidation. “Honest elections are the foundation of genuine democracy and national development,” he insisted, adding that credible polls could provide the pathway for lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
His draft bill is currently before the National Assembly for consideration
