Why INEC chairman, REC offices should be advertised – Falana

A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has proposed that the positions of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) should be advertised for transparency and credibility in the appointment process.

According to Falana, if individuals apply for the positions of the INEC chairman and the RECs, the National Assembly should conduct a rigorous screening process for the top three candidates before announcing the appointment of one of them.

This approach, he said, would ensure transparency, meritocracy, and credibility in the selection of key officials responsible for overseeing electoral processes in Nigeria.

Falana, who is part of a movement for the electoral and judicial reforms that emerged after the Haske Satumari Foundation annual colloquium in Abuja, insisted that the selection of a credible person as INEC chairman through an open process would significantly enhance the credibility of Nigeria’s elections.

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He stressed the importance of adopting the recommendations from the Justice Uwais panel report on electoral reforms to improve the country’s electoral system.

Kudla Satumari, the founder of Haske Satumari Foundation, said they are working to ensure that both the Electoral Act and the constitution provide for the full transmission of election results electronically.

He said the non-transmission of election results electronically has denied many people victory.