Should Next INEC Chairman Come From North or South? Nigerians React

• Former President Muhammadu Buhari's ex-aide, Bashir Ahmad, has advocated for a northerner to retain the seat of INEC chairman for the third consecutive time
• The former presidential aide argued that only two northerners have held the positions since the establishment of the electoral body in 1964
• On the contrary, Nigeria has had 10 southerners to man the affairs of the electoral umpire, but their disposition has been contested by some Nigerians

Bashir Ahmad, a former presidential aide under the administration of the late Muhammadu Buhari, has alleged that the north has been sidelined in the appointment of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairmen since its inception.

Recall that Nigeria’s electoral body has been given different names since its inception in 1964, before it was named INEC ahead of the 1999 election. Ahmad had taken to social media to explain that only two northerners have held the position of INEC chairman since 1964.

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The two chairmen are Attahiru Jega, who was INEC chairman from 2010 to 2015 and the current one, who doubled as Jega’s successor, Mahmood Yakubu, who was appointed by Buhari in 2015 and his tenure is expected to expire in December 2025.

Nigerians speak on new INEC chairman

However, Ahmad’s claim has started generating mixed reactions from some Nigerians. Below are some of their reactions:

Bay B alleged that Yakubu is the worst INEC chairman in Nigeria’s history:

“Your post reeks of ethnocentrism. Nigerians shouldn’t be taught that political office depends on tribe and not competence. Mahmood Yakubu is the worst INEC chairman in Nigeria's history, and if tribe is the yardstick, no northerner deserves the position. This bigotry keeps Nigeria at a standstill. Those with a “voice” should enlighten and not mislead.”

However, Bashir replied to him:

“Mind you, the North is not a region of one tribe; there are more than 500 tribes here. So your point?”

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Dr Mary accuses Ahmad of being biased:

“Now you remember to go as far as 1964 and not 1999, right? When you wanted to prove that the south had ruled Nigeria more than the north, you started from 1999. But today we need to go back. The joke is on you. I can almost bet the next chairman is coming from the south.”

Bashir also responded:

“Nope, the joke is honestly on you. If you are being honest with yourself, how would you compare an elected office to an appointed one?”

Odukoya Oluwaseun explained why the former presidential aide should delete the post, and Ahmad affirmed in his response:

“Oga Bashir, you need to delete this post; it’s an embarrassment to you. 90% of the presidents who appointed these chairmen are from Northern Nigeria. So you expect the President to be a northerner and the INEC chairman to be a northerner as well. Think.”

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See Bashir Ahmad's tweet here:

INEC to register new political parties

Legit.ng earlier reported that INEC has announced that only 14 of the 171 associations seeking to register as political parties made it through the first stage

Sam Olumekun, the spokesperson of the commission, announced the development in a statement on Thursday, September 11

The commission also invited the chairmen and secretaries of the association to a briefing on Wednesday, September 17, at its headquarters in Abuja

Source: Legit.ng