Unbundling INEC key to credible elections, says ex-IPAC chair

Peter Ameh, former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be restructured to guarantee credible polls in the country.

Speaking on The Volume Pod, Ameh recommended the implementation of the Mohammed Uwais electoral panel report of 2008, which proposed the unbundling of INEC.

He said the power of appointment vested in the president must also be reviewed, adding that “Those who pay the piper dictate its tune”.

Ameh, who is the national secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), noted that only a re-engineered process can deliver an electoral body free from government interference.

“We need to have an INEC that is truly independent of interference from those in government and those who run the apparatus of state,” he said.

According to him, such reforms will guarantee a commission that serves as a regulator and register of political parties without fear or favour.

He claimed that there are already signs of undue influence on judicial processes related to elections.

“We were in court for a candidate. In an open court, I, Chief Ameh, saw a judge saying that his hands are tied and that he has received several calls that he should not proceed with this case. What democracy are we running? I’ve seen this. I heard this,” he said.

He said judges must not claim to be constrained by external pressures.

“A judge is not telling you that his hands are tied because he has looked at the laws and the provisions of the constitution,” Ameh said.

“A judge is supposed to represent the very best of our national leadership.

“A judge is supposed to be so independent that he’s able to save any situation that is indeed in dispute without referring it to friends or to well-wishers.”

He added that judges should look at the constitution, study relevant laws and regulations, and arrive at decisions based on them.

“We cannot continue where we don’t have the opportunity for people who are at the highest level of our judiciary to not have the freedom to take decisions,” he said.