Dear Mr President,
I warmly felicitate you on your birthday and can only
wish you all the best as you pilot the affairs of our country in the remaining
years of your term as president. I pray that you use this period of Ramadan and
your birthday as a sober reflection to deeply look into the concerns of most
Nigerians home and abroad.
Yes, the Independent National Electoral Commission and
the court pronounced you the President of Nigeria with lots of mixed feelings
from many Nigerians across board.
The 2023 general elections have come and gone like
previous elections we have had since inception of democratic rule.
Some elections we have had in the past have been adduced to be free and fair
just like the June 12 election. While some could be said free and fair but had
issues with some of the results which the then winner, late President Umoru
Yar’Adua, magnanimously accepted that there were flaws in the 2007 election.
Mr President sir, I wouldn’t want to dwell on 2023
election because it has come and gone but we cannot forget so soon because of
some damning report from different international observers, petitioners and
even Nigerians. They unanimously believe the election was grossly flawed. It
will be commending and magnanimous to admit this fact and look at improving the
electoral system moving forward. All what Nigerian people crave for is to have
confidence in the electoral system and for me, that is the true essence of any
democratic government.
I also believe this is what you have always proclaimed all these years and for
most Nigerians as we approach the 2027 general elections, this gives you an
opportunity to live by your word as a democrat you’ve always professed.
Let the Nigerian people elect or nominate their electoral officers as we
approach 2027 general elections. What you enjoyed today was democratically
demonstrated by the former president in 2015, HE Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Let the Nigerian people decide their faith without interference.
Mr President sir, as a Nigerian and one of the voices
of the opposition, we are all in the Nigerian project and I believe if these my
proposed recommendation is sincerely looked into, trust me, the Nigerian people
will believe you don’t have any agenda or intention to turn Nigeria into a
one-party state or trying to suppress opposing views. I strongly believe you
will definitely look into these recommendations after you peruse.
These are my proposed recommendations:
1) The appointment of the INEC Chairman should not be
done by the office of the president.
2) The INEC Chairman must be selected from the
Nigerian people through a referendum comprising the Civil Society group like
the Labour Union, Trade Union. Also CAN, NSCIA, NBA, NMA. YIAGA Africa, The
Patriot, Student Union.
Socio Cultural Organization like Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze
Ndigbo.
3) These groups of people will meet and draw
guidelines for the selection of nominees.
4) Each of the six geopolitical zones will have an
INEC Chairman/Chairperson selected from nominees by these group of people.
5) Also, every state electoral commissioner will be
selected in a highly contested election or consensus by these group of
distinguished people.
6) The INEC Chairman nominated by these body will
supervise, collate election results in that region and present at the national
collation centre.
7) An INEC Chairman with impeccable record will be
nominated amongst the 6 geopolitical INEC Chairmen and also a Secretary from
one of the Six. They will be nominated by these same group of distinguished
Nigerians.
8) Finally Mr President, with these in place, the
electronic transmission of election of result in real time cannot be
overemphasised. It’s time to make it work come 2027.
These are some of the recommendations I present to
your office as the President and Commander in Chief and to the good people you
preside over. With this in place, the Nigerian people will have a better
trusted electoral system knowing their voices would be heard since the
selection of the electoral umpires came from the Nigerian people.
Let the best man win so we can have a rancour-free and
fair election devoid of litigation and or international embarrassment. The ball
is in your court Mr President. This is the time to write your name in the
history of Nigeria as someone who put Nigeria in the global map of true
democratic institution or you embed your name as one that intentionally
decimated democratic principles and its institution.
The choice is yours.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
*Dr Seye O’Dairo*
Writes in from Lagos.
Cc: The National Assembly
Cc: Justices of The Federation
Cc: All Civil Society Organisations.
Cc: All Religious Organisations
Cc: Afenifere, ACF, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Cc: The Patriot.
Cc: NBA, NMA
Cc: CUPP
Cc: The Nigerian People
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