By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
The former IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Mike Igini has posited that President Muhammadu Buhari’s greatest political legacy will be to midwife a free, fair, credible and inclusive general election as Nigerians go to the polls in February , 2023 to elect the next President of the most populous black nation in the world.
He also declared that if the elections are adjudged free, fair, credible and inclusive by Nigerians ditto local and international observers, most of the corrupt politicians who will lose the elections will retire from active politics.
Igini who is the immediate past Akwa Ibom state REC spoke on AIT breakfast programme Kakaaki on Monday. He praised President Buhari for his personal efforts to ensure that the Electoral Act 2022 was signed into law.
According to him: “President Muhammadu Buhari have demonstrated commitment in deepening our democracy by signing the Electoral Act 2022 into law. But he will leave a lasting legacy if he shuns party politics to ensure a free, fair, credible and inclusive polls in 2013. It’s gratifying to hear that the President has at every fora made it clear that his administration will guarantee free and fair elections in Nigeria in 2023. I hope he kepts to his words”.
The former REC urged Buhari to
go beyond mere promises of a free and fair elections in Nigeria by showing concrete commitment to the walk the talk by raining in those causing trouble and destroying INEC facilities across the country.
Said he: “President Buhari must make sure that he gets constant briefing the security agencies to be able to have complete understanding of what those who do not want elections to hold are planning and deal with the threat to allow elections to take place. He must not allow insecurity to stop the elections”.
On the alleged attempts of some politicians and political parties
to oppose the use of technological devices like Bio-modal Accreditation System BVAS and I-Rev to conduct the forthcoming elections by using the courts, Igini dismissed it with the wave of the hand.
“It is too late in the day to stop the use of BVAS and electronic transmission of results in 2023 general election. INEC has evolved from the use of Card Readers Machine (CRM) introduced by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to what we have now.
“Infact, the corrupt politicians should brace up for the storm that will hit them because the INEC I know has made it clear to the blind and audible to the deaf that there will not be Incident Forms anymore”, the former REC insists.
Asked if he fears that hackers may target INEC site during the elections, Igini said that there is no cause for alarm as the Commission’s ICT department has what it takes to counter such attacks, adding that INEC has conducted 105 elections across the country using technology without any breaches by hackers.
On infiltration of INEC ad hoc staff by unscrupulous political class to compromise the elections in 2023, the outspoken former REC said it’s the headache of the Commission but said it has been punishing those found culpable in the past.
According to him: “I led that fight when I was REC in Akwa Ibom state and today a Professor is serving a jail term for electoral malpractices and others are going through the court processes. Now, law is in place and procedure is in place. So, if INEC succeeds in 2023, many politicians will retire from active politics”.
