Open Alliance has taken a swipe at the 10th National Assembly for endorsement of partisan individuals as State Electoral Commissioners.
In a statement, the coalition of civil society organizations working to improve openness and accountability in government, said the trend undermines the essence of free and fair elections, creating distrust among Nigerians in the democratic process.
“It is worth noting that appointing partisans of an election party is dangerous and consequential to Nigeria’s democracy.
“The National Assembly, entrusted with the vital duty of upholding the integrity of our electoral system, exhibits a lack of respect for the principles of impartiality, fairness, and credibility of our electoral processes when it endorses individuals with known partisan affiliations to supervise state-level elections.” The statement read.
Open Alliance firmly believes that the cornerstone of any healthy democracy lies in free and fair elections.
“Partisan State Electoral Commissioners not only compromise the integrity of the electoral process but also jeopardize the fundamental rights of all citizens to participate in an unbiased and transparent election.
“It is important to note that this assembly is setting up this fragile democratic system for failure in the near future; Nigerians hope for the freedom to vote under fair circumstances and choose qualified people to represent them in various electoral offices.
“However, when the processes look biased from the planning stage, Nigerians will have no choice but to lose the little trust left in the electoral process.
“We call on the National Assembly to immediately cease the ratification of partisan individuals as State Electoral Commissioners and uphold their constitutional duty to safeguard the democratic principles of Nigeria.
” We fervently hope that the National Assembly will take swift action to rectify this situation and restore public trust in the electoral system.” The statement further read.
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