The Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of Prof. Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Speaking in Lagos on Sunday amid ongoing debates surrounding Amupitan’s appointment, Aniebonam said the nominee has a crucial responsibility ahead of him once confirmed by the Senate.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the National Council of State, on October 7, approved Amupitan’s nomination to succeed Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu as INEC chairman, pending Senate confirmation.
According to Aniebonam, Amupitan must be ready to take decisive action immediately after assuming office.
“The first task for Amupitan is to change the battered image of INEC and restore the trust of Nigerians in the umpire.
INEC’s image has been so eroded over the years that the first task before Amupitan is righting the wrongs of the commission and re-creating confidence in it.
Amupitan needs to study the commission thoroughly and correct issues currently before it that Mahmoud ignored,” he said.
Aniebonam further noted that President Tinubu’s decision to nominate Amupitan reflected his commitment to reforming critical national institutions.
“President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council members must have seen Amupitan’s capacity before nominating him, pointing out that the President is truly committed to righting the wrongs in Nigeria and may be starting from INEC.
“What we need in Nigeria at the moment shall be leaders who can take informed and hard decisions, if we must reinvent the Nigeria of our dreams,” he added.
He also referenced the NNPP’s experience with INEC under Yakubu’s leadership, describing it as disappointing and detrimental to democratic principles.
“Our experience with INEC over the internal leadership crisis in NNPP have given us an insight into the ills of the commission and how the body worked sometimes.
“For the immediate past leadership of INEC to ignore subsisting court orders and directives to upload the NNPP’s new national executives was a shocker and very shameful to constitutional democracy.
“What could have stopped the former INEC boss from obeying the court orders should be looked into. These and many more are part of issues that can erode a people’s confidence in an institution.
“Amupitan has the choice to either follow the path of past INEC chairmen or write his name in Diamond.”
Aniebonam urged the incoming INEC chairman to promptly address unresolved issues, especially those involving disregard for court rulings.
“It is still like a daydream to us that some bad eggs in INEC connived and changed the logo and colour of NNPP symbols without the consent of its founding members and holder of the original certificate of registration.
“INEC did the conversion without asking or sighting the original certificate of registration of the NNPP.
“This simply means that anyone can approach INEC and change the logo and colour symbols of APC, PDP, LABOUR, and others just like that.”
“Despite these grievances, Aniebonam reaffirmed the NNPP’s readiness to cooperate with President Tinubu’s administration and support the incoming INEC boss.
“The NNPP remained committed to joining President Tinubu to give the new INEC leadership maximum support, and prayed that Amupitan would not be distracted in carrying out his duties.”
