A former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
In a statement to OsunDailyNG on Thursday, Agbakoba said the failure to remove the INEC Chairman will impede Tinubu’s reform task.
The senior lawyer also hailed the president for suspending the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Agbakoba said: “Full congratulations go to President Tinubu for getting rid of Emefiele and Bawa and fuel subsidy and forex corruption. Endemic corruption has suffered a massive blow. Next is for the president to dismantle INEC. Everyone will agree that logistically, the 2023 elections are the worst in our history. I do not refer to the merits of the results of the elections. Many results are disputed and are in Tribunals. Both petitioners and respondents suffered at the hands of an incompetent INEC.
“As we await rulings from the courts massive reforms of the electoral framework ought to begin but this means that the INEC Chairman will have to leave office by resignation or removal, otherwise the reform task will be impeded. I add very quickly that the suggested reforms have nothing to do with the merits of election results at all. Both winners and losers of the elections were victims of the failure of INEC. Confidence in Nigeria’s democracy will be enhanced by a deep cleansing of INEC.”
