Public policy analyst and development expert, Abba Kaka has said the newly nominated Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Josiah Ojo Amupitan, must urgently rebuild public confidence in the Commission by addressing the reputational damage caused by the unexplained “technical glitch” that marred the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking on ARISE Newson Friday, Kaka said Nigerians’ faith in the electoral system had been severely shaken by the controversy surrounding the last election and that Professor Amupitan’s greatest challenge would be restoring credibility to INEC.
“To answer you honestly, I have no idea if he’s the right person because he’s someone who is really not known in the system. He has an impeccable résumé, but not one related to election management,” Kaka said.
“Nigerians would have hoped that somebody from inside INEC would have been nominated, someone with hands-on experience and knowledge of the challenges. But still, the fact that the nomination came promptly is a good sign. We only hope he lives up to expectations.”
The analyst, however, warned that INEC had inflicted serious damage on its own reputation during the 2023 general elections and said the new chairman must take full control of the election management system to restore confidence.
“The most important thing is that there’s serious self-inflicted damage at INEC. During the last election, when billions of naira had been spent on technology and result collation, what Nigerians got was a ‘technical glitch.’ Whatever that meant, it destroyed the Commission’s credibility,” he said.
“That so-called technical glitch was never explained to the Nigerian people. So, he needs to take complete control of the election management system. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have the pedigree or experience needed for that purpose.”
Kaka stressed that addressing the Commission’s loss of credibility must be Professor Amupitan’s top priority.
“That reputational damage has to be fixed immediately because Nigerians no longer trust the system. They were shortchanged because of that glitch, which was never explained. He needs to tell Nigerians what that ‘technical glitch’ really meant and ensure it never happens again,” he stated.
He added that for the Commission to regain public trust, INEC must demonstrate full transparency in its processes and eliminate any appearance of compromise.
“People must trust the system and believe that technology will work as promised. Billions were spent on it. Nigerians don’t want to keep returning to manual processes that can easily be compromised,” Kaka said.
Kaka concluded by saying that while Professor Amupitan may lack electoral experience, his clean record and academic background give him a chance to succeed — if he acts decisively to correct INEC’s past failings and rebuild the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.
“At least he’s someone with no known baggage or integrity issues. He seems to be a thoroughbred academic who has lived up to expectations in his career. We hope he brings that integrity into INEC because over 200 million Nigerians will be watching him. He must fix the Commission’s reputation and do the right thing,” he said.
Boluwatife Enome
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