Nigeria’s Electoral Integrity at Risk? Tinubu Appoints APC Loyalists as INEC (RECs)

In a move that has stirred controversy, President Bola Tinubu has announced the nomination of 10 new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, these appointments have raised questions due to alleged political affiliations and associations of some of the nominees with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and key politicians in President Tinubu’s government.

The 10 RECs and their respective states of deployment are Etekamba Umoren (Akwa Ibom State), Isah Ehimeakne (Edo), Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti), Abubakar Ma’aji (Gombe), Shehu Wahab (Kwara), Bunmi Omoseyindemi (Lagos), Aminu Idris (Nasarawa), Mohammed Yelwa (Niger), Anugbum Onuoha (Rivers), and Isma’ila Moyi (Zamfara).

While the president’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, cited constitutional and electoral act provisions for these nominations, questions have arisen over their neutrality and non-partisan status. Initially, only nine names were provided, creating some confusion.

The concern primarily centers around at least four of the RECs and their ties to President Tinubu, the APC, and prominent politicians in the administration. Notably, Etekamba Umoren, the nominee for Akwa Ibom State, has a history of political association with the APC and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Isah Shaka, designated for Edo State, has displayed apparent bias towards President Tinubu and the APC on social media. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, nominated for Lagos State, has enjoyed political patronage from President Tinubu since 2001. Anugbum Onuoha, the Rivers State nominee, has affiliations with a top official of the Tinubu administration and served as a Special Adviser on Lands and Surveys to Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

These appointments have raised concerns about their adherence to the principles of neutrality and professionalism required of electoral officials, as dictated by Nigerian law. The law prohibits the appointment of political party members as RECs, as they play a crucial role in coordinating INEC activities in various states.

The controversy comes in the wake of former INEC Chairperson Attahiru Jega’s criticism of existing laws that allow politicians to appoint top electoral commission officials, citing potential issues with their thorough screening and the damaging effect on the integrity of elections.

With these appointments, President Tinubu appears to be following a pattern set by his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, who also faced criticism for nominating individuals with political affiliations as RECs.

The concern over the political ties of these newly nominated RECs has prompted discussions about the need to divest such appointments from politicians and transfer them to INEC to ensure non-partisanship and uphold electoral integrity.