The Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has urged reforms in Nigeria’s electoral system, beginning with the appointment of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
Speaking on Monday in Abuja at the presentation of the centre’s review of INEC’s Innovation in Electoral Technology (2015–2025), Chidoka faulted the current model where RECs are political appointees, warning that the practice undermines electoral credibility.
He cited the Adamawa State episode in which a REC prematurely declared a winner, describing it as “egregious” and unlikely if the officer had been a career INEC staff member.
“No INEC staff will do what the REC in Adamawa did. I firmly support that RECs should be drawn from INEC. They must be professionals with a stake in the institution, not politicians,” the former Minister of Aviation said.
Chidoka also called for “radical transparency” in INEC’s decision-making, including publication of meeting records to show commissioners’ positions on key issues. He further proposed that political parties should be represented in the National Commission to ensure inclusiveness and accountability.
The former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps backed INEC’s plan to allow voters to use official electronic IDs, including driver’s licenses and passports, to reduce disenfranchisement. He however stressed the need to purge the voter register of deceased and inactive persons, suggesting that citizens who fail to vote in two consecutive election cycles be removed.
While commending INEC’s technological innovations such as BVAS, Chidoka insisted they must be complemented by strong governance frameworks that guarantee transparency from polling units to collation centres.
“These technologies are fantastic, but they must be backed by governance infrastructure. Transparency removes discretionary power and builds trust,” he said.
The Athena Electoral Observatory will track these issues ahead of the Ekiti, Osun, and FCT Area Council elections in 2026 and the 2027 general elections.
