Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, has expressed concern over the appointment of certain Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) nominees who have actively engaged in political campaigns. Itodo made these remarks in response to the recent Senate approval of REC nominees, as he discussed during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today,Daily Trust report.
During the plenary session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the confirmation of seven RECs through a voice vote. Itodo asserted that appointing individuals with clear partisan affiliations as RECs signifies a disregard for the importance of Nigerian citizens in the state’s affairs.
He further argued that some of the confirmed nominees on that Wednesday had evident partisan connections. Itodo explained, “Civil society organizations and citizens have been consistently voicing their concerns about these nominees appointed by the President to serve as Resident Electoral Commissioners for two critical reasons.”
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“Some of these nominees have failed to meet the constitutional requirement of non-partisanship, as outlined in Section 156 and paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule. The constitution explicitly mandates that individuals appointed to the electoral commission must not have partisan affiliations. It is widely known that some of the confirmed nominees not only hold party memberships but have also been observed actively participating in political party campaigns, with videos and images providing evidence of their involvement,” Itodo emphasized.
