REC Nominations: Remove names of card-carrying members of APC, Buhari told

…calls on NASS to reject nomination

By Gabriel Ewepu, ABUJA

THE Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, weekend, challenged President Muhammadu Buhari, to remove purported names of card-carrying members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the list of nominated Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, sent to the National Assembly for confirmation and appointment into the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of 2023 general elections.

The call was made by Chairman of TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, while expressing displeasure over the names of nominees whose loyalty is already with the ruling party, and said it contravenes the Electoral Act.

According to him, TMG is more concerned about the potential impact of such a “much push from the Presidency on the overall credibility, transparency and integrity of the upcoming elections in 2023.”

He said: “The Transition Monitoring Group,TMG, is seriously worried by the reported surreptitious nominations of Card-carrying members of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, into the decision making structure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at all levels as enabling strategy to influence the process and outcome of 2023 general elections.

“We condemn in totality the appointments of card-carrying members of any political party as a controlling strategy that can compromise the competence and objectivity of INEC, under which the independence and integrity of the Commission cannot be guaranteed to deliver free, fair and credible elections.

“While the provisions of 1999 Constitution are clear on the compositions, and major appointments into structure of the Electoral Body, we are displeased by the apparent partisanship and favouritism reported through the nominations of the party’s card-carrying members as INEC Commissioners and State Resident Electoral Commissioners.

“TMG on this note call on President Muhammadu Buhari to in the spirit of his administration’s commitment to anti-corruption and transparency, withdraw all names of political party chieftains or card-carrying members contained in the nominations; and consider for immediate replacements, persons of integrity and unquestionable character, to demonstrate non-partisanship in the selections and nominations.”

The TMG boss also called on the National Assembly to reject nomination of such persons rather stand with the Electoral Act.

“We call on the National Assembly to reject confirmation of all nominated party chieftains and insist on transparency and non-partisanship in the selections, to uphold democratic value and electoral integrity, while proving respect for the sanity and sanctity of the rule of law.

“We also call on INEC to give detailed and verifiable positions of the nominated persons and rationale for their selections as well as prerequisite for the recent adjustments in the Commission’s structure and compositions at all levels”, he added.