Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Fidelis Oditah, urges President Tinubu to prioritize integrity, competence, and independence in appointing the next electoral chief, warning that Nigeria’s democratic credibility depends on it.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Fidelis Oditah, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint a non-partisan and credible individual as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Oditah emphasized that the credibility of Nigeria’s future elections rests heavily on having a leader at the electoral body who embodies integrity, independence, and competence rather than political loyalty.
Speaking during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, Oditah said President Tinubu owes Nigerians a moral and constitutional responsibility to select a person capable of restoring public trust in the country’s electoral system. He stressed that the next INEC chairman must be impartial, professional, and accountable to the Nigerian people, not beholden to political interests.
“The INEC chairman needs to be impartial, independent, competent, accountable, professional, and trustworthy,” Oditah stated. “No one who witnessed the 2023 elections can have very good things to say about INEC,” he added, expressing disappointment in the conduct and credibility of the last general elections.
The senior lawyer, who is also a former governorship aspirant in Delta State, warned that appointing a political loyalist would further erode public confidence in the electoral process. He insisted that what Nigeria needs is not new laws but individuals with integrity to implement existing ones effectively.
According to Oditah, “You cannot legislate integrity into existence. Our problem is not the law but the people. Nigeria’s legal framework for elections is largely adequate, but it is continuously undermined by the human element — by those who should uphold it.”
He also criticised what he described as “dodgy jurisprudence” from the courts in handling post-election cases, especially those related to the transmission of results through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV). Oditah argued that inconsistencies in judicial interpretations have worsened public cynicism toward both the electoral process and the judiciary.
The SAN maintained that for Nigeria to strengthen its democracy, those in charge of election management and adjudication must act with honesty and transparency. He noted that without addressing the moral failures of individuals within the system, even the most robust legal provisions would remain ineffective.
Oditah’s comments come at a time when discussions about potential changes at INEC have intensified, amid growing demands for electoral reform and institutional credibility. His appeal to President Tinubu underscores a broader national sentiment that the next INEC leadership must rise above political affiliations to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic future.
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