Defying protests and petitions from civil society organisations, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday, 5th October 2022 confirmed nineteen (19) persons nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari for appointment as Resident Electoral Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Senate Committee on INEC in its report, stated that it requested for and received security clearance and other relevant documents of the nominees and had them appear before it for screening. According to the Committee, the nominees responded to questions asked during their screening and individually assured the Committee of their non-partisanship and non-card-carrying membership of any political party. According to the Committee, the nominees “promised to discharge their assignment diligently and in accordance with laid down laws, as well as to contribute their quota towards uplifting the confidence and trust of the electorate in the electoral umpire, INEC by improving the electoral process through fairness and all-inclusiveness.”
Nineteen (19) RECs were nominated by President Buhari in a communication to the Senate last July 2022. Of the 19, five (5) were for renominated and the remaining fourteen (14) were new nominees. Petitions were sent to the Senate Committee on INEC regarding four (4) of the new nominees. The Committee received petitions against Dr. Agundu Oliver Tersoo (Benue), Prof. Mohammed Lawal Bashar (Sokoto), Mrs. Queen Elizabeth Agwu (Ebonyi) and Dr. Ugochi Pauline Onyeka (Imo) and provided them with an opportunity to defend themselves.
The Committee presented the petitions against the four nominees as follows:
The petition made against Dr. Agundu Oliver Tersoowas on the ground of partisanship. He was alleged to be a registered member of a political party. Prof. Muhammad Lawal Bashir was alleged to have been a Governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State in the 2015 elections. He obtained the nomination form of the political party, was duly screened and contested the primary election. The alleged affiliations to political parties violates section 14(2a) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution which provides that “a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity.” Also, section 154(1)(a) of the Constitution clearly prohibits the appointment of any person who is a member of a political party as a member of INEC.
Given the partisanship credentials of these individuals, the stand of the petitioners is that they fail the constitutional requirement of non-partisanship as a mandatory condition precedent for appointment as INEC RECs. It is against this backdrop that they concluded that their appointments would undermine the neutrality and impartiality of INEC and Nigeria’s electoral process.
Civil Society groups opposed the nominations of Mrs. Queen Elizabeth Agwu (Ebonyi) and Dr. Ugochi Pauline Onyeka (Imo) on grounds of partisanship, compromise and incompetence. According to the petition, Mrs. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, a former Accountant-General of Ebonyi State, was “allegedly suspended” on grounds of incompetence in 2016, is reported to be a member of a political party, and also served as Acting Chief of Staff to the Governor of Ebonyi State until June 2021.
Dr. Ugochi Pauline Onyeka is said to be a former Head of ICT at INEC in Imo State and was alleged to have been redeployed for her alleged connivance with politicians to undermine elections.
The Committee considered the petitions and made their findings as follows:
“Dr. Agundu Oliver Tersoo (Benue): No concrete evidence nor sworn affidavit substantiating the allegation of partisanship was found on this nominee. It is also clear that the purported evidence of his membership card, was an attempt at mischief as the card was dated 2020 and signed by the current Chairman of a political party who was not Chairman as at 2020.”
“Muhammad Lawal Bashir (Sokoto): Participated in party primaries in 2015 and lost. He however, according to records before the Committee, disassociated himself from political activities and went back to the classroom and continued as a lecturer in the University.”
“Mrs. Queen Elizabeth Agwu (Ebonyi): It was discovered she was a former Chief of Staff to the Governor of Ebonyi State from June 2020 to June 2021, a position which was purely administrative. However, there was no evidence to prove her partisanship. She was given a commendation letter from the Ebonyi State Government for her Excellence Performance in the discharge of her administrative duties.”
“Dr. Ugochi Pauline Onyeka: Served in INEC and rose through the ranks for 20 years and became the Director ICT. The petition came without sworn affidavit and no evidence was found to validate the allegations, only cut-outs relating to the allegation of being re-deployed based on affiliation to political parties copied from the internet were submitted by the petitioners. There was no proof of her being suspended from INEC.”
The 19 persons whose nominations were approved by the Senate and their States are as follows:
- Ibrahim Abdullahi, mni Adamawa Renewal of Appointment
- Obo O. Effanga Cross River Renewal of Appointment
- Alh. Umar Ibrahim Taraba Renewal of Appointment
- Dr. Agboke Mitiu Olaleke Ogun Renewal of Appointment
- Prof. Samuel E. Egwu Kogi Renewal of Appointment
- Onyeka Pauline Ugochi Imo New Appointment
- Prof. Muhammed Lawal Bashar Sokoto New Appointment
- Prof. Ayobami Salami Oyo New Appointment
- Amb. Zango Abdussamadu Abdu, mni Katsina New Appointment
- Mrs. Queen Elizabeth Agwu Ebonyi New Appointment
- Dr. Agunndu Oliver Tersoo Benue New Appointment
- Yomere Gabriel Oritsemlebi Delta New Appointment
- Prof. Yahaya Makarfi Ibrahim Kaduna New Appointment
- Dr. Nura Ali Kano New Appointment
- Agu Sylvia Uchenna Enugu New Appointment
- Ahmed Yushau Garki FCT New Appointment
- Barr. Hudu Yunusa, mni Bauchi New Appointment
- Prof. Uzochukwu Ikemefuna Chijioke Anambra New Appointment
- Mohammad B. Nura Yobe New Appointment