The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has elected the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, as the new chairman of its board.
Rafsanjani alongside other members of the board were elected at the group’s Annual General meeting (AGM) on Friday in Abuja.
He succeeds Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi who stepped down having served the required maximum four-year single-term in office.
Earlier, the AGM commenced with an Electoral Summit with the theme: “The Future of Nigeria Election; The Way Forward”, where various issues that can improve or impede elections in Nigeria were discussed with focus on electoral security, internal party democracy, electronic voting and the impact of election litigation on the integrity of our electoral process.
Mr Rafsanjani, who is also the Head of Transparency International-Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) and the chairman of Board of Trustees, Amnesty International-Nigeria will now steer the affairs of the flagship election observation coalition in the country for the next four years.
The new TMG board chairman is known for his consistent engagement of the polity in the last two decades pushing for sustainable reforms that will bring lasting solutions to Nigerian many challenges.
The outgoing chairman of TMG, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said that as the flagship of election observation in Nigeria, the TMG played a pivotal role in ensuring civic participation by mobilizing citizens during the Nigeria’s transition program conducted by the then Military regime of Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar (Retd) between 1998 and 1999.
“Since then, TMG has consistently engaged the electoral process in ensuring transparency, accountability and credibility of the process by sensitizing and observing every strand of election in Nigeria,” Akiyode-Afolabi said.
Other members elected by the group included 10 new board members and the state coordinators who were pooled from different demographics to reflect the diversity of the country.
Other elected board members are Ms. Mirian Menkiti, Vice Chairman; Mr. Tijani Abdulkareem, Treasurer; Ms. Ekaete Judith Umoh, Representing Persons with Disabilities (PWDs); and Mr. Tayo Akinpelu, Representing the Youth.
The rest are Dr. Abdu-Azis Bako, North Central Coordinator; Sylvester Okoduwa, South South Coordinator; Dr. Joseph Gimba, North East Coordinator; Mr. Adesina Adefolahan, South West; Pastor Gabriel Odom, South East; and Hajia Fatima Mohammed Umar, North West.
In his acceptance speech, Rafsanjani thanked the outgoing board and promised to add to some of the achievements made by his predecessor.
Outlining his key agenda as the Chairman of the Board, he promised to carry along members by running an all-inclusive organization, rebuilding partnership with stakeholders especially with the donor community as well as other relevant agencies in the development sector.
“The new leadership will make all necessary efforts to bring together all members in order to work as a team toward moving the organization forward and mobilize citizens to demand for accountability in order to choose the right leaders as we match toward the 2023 General Elections,” Rafsanjani said.
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