*Says “Most Of The Characters You See In Public Offices Are Supposed To Be Candidates For Prison”
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A former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Mike Igini, has said that many of the people currently occupying public offices should instead be candidates for prison.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Igini said the 2027 general election would be more than a test for Nigeria’s democracy, describing it as a verdict on INEC, the judiciary, political actors and other stakeholders.
“The 2027 general elections will be more than a test. INEC will be judged, and officials, judiciary will be judged.
“More importantly, the politicians who are seeking political office will be judged. Most of the characters you see today in public offices are supposed to be candidates for prison,” he said.
Igini expressed concern that Nigeria was increasingly operating under the rule of individuals rather than the rule of law, adding that laws were no longer being effectively enforced.
He also raised concerns over Section 97 of the Electoral Act, which provides that a candidate shall not be compelled to support any political party, alleging that the provision was being violated daily.
“They want to end Nigeria. They are putting out light on democracy. Where were they when we were fighting for democracy in this country?” Igini asked.
The former INEC REC also warned that politicians had infiltrated lists of National Youth Service Corps members in an attempt to manipulate elections by inserting fake corps members as ad hoc electoral officials.
He, however, maintained that serving NYSC members remained the best option for election duties because they had something at stake and could be held accountable, unlike former corps members and graduates engaged for elections who, according to him, might have less fear of sanctions.
Igini further argued that Nigeria could not fix its economy without first fixing its politics, stressing that development was deeply rooted in the country’s political processes.
He said INEC had continued to introduce measures aimed at building public confidence in the electoral process, including the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the INEC Result Viewing portal, which he said had changed the conduct of elections in the country.
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