Osun REC urges political stakeholders to focus on issues, not personal attacks

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, has expressed concern over the growing trust deficit in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Speaking at the 2024 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Osun, Agboke emphasized that the current trend of personal attacks on INEC officials by political stakeholders is counterproductive.

According to him, these stakeholders have shifted their attention from monitoring the electoral process to targeting INEC officials, in an attempt to influence election outcomes.

He stressed that this approach is misguided and urged stakeholders to focus on monitoring the commission’s activities, modalities, and the conduct of its officials instead.

Agboke, who called on stakeholders to analyze and address security threats to elections before and during the electoral process, promised that INEC would continue to work with security agencies to ensure credible elections.

In his words: “In recent times, we have discovered that political stakeholders have shifted their attention from the issues they are supposed to monitor. The target is now the officials of the commission, and I feel there is no need for this, unless it is clear that a particular official has committed an infraction, one that the commission should address.

“Political stakeholders should stop thinking they can undermine the officials of the commission, perhaps believing that by doing so, they will get their way. That is not the way it should be. When you focus on personal attacks, you miss the opportunity to properly monitor the activities and conduct of officials to ensure they are doing the right thing.”

He added, “We should all continue to analyze the various security threats to our elections, even before the election begins. Our engagement should continue, and no security agency should back out. We must continue to work together and liaise closely, and INEC will always remain open to collaboration to achieve this.”

Also speaking, Dr. Femi Adefila, a renowned broadcast journalist, emphasized the need for better scrutiny of the process of choosing leaders in Nigeria.

According to Adefila, vote buying remains a persistent issue in the country’s electoral process, undermining the integrity of democracy.

In his remarks, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, recommended that INEC conduct fresh voter registrations every five years to maintain an up-to-date and reliable voters’ register.

Alimi noted that INEC only adds new names every four years, resulting in a register cluttered with deceased individuals.

“I’m stating it clearly and authoritatively today that the register we have is not a true reflection of the voters’ register. The only solution I will recommend for INEC is that every five years, we should register afresh. Then, we will know the true and accurate voters’ register at unit, ward, local government, and state levels.”