National Chairman of Advanced Democratic Party, ADP, Alhaji Yabagi Sani, has called for removal of the power to appoint Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Resident Electoral Commissioners removed from the president.
Sani also advocated for a review of the section the constitution that empowers the president to appoint the Inspector-General of Police (I-GP).
Yabagi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja, said that the National Assembly, while amending the constitution, to investigate those portions for the nation’s democracy to be properly grounded.
Sani, while answering questions on how to strengthen the country’s democratic rule, said that it was not proper for the constitution to place such strategic responsibilities on the president who, oftentimes, is actively involved in the contest.
“It is not good for the president to appoint INEC chairman and everybody that matters in the commission.
“Again, the most leading security agency in a democratic government is the police. How does he appoint our I-GP, the DIG and others because they are the ones that protect people and play fundamental roles in the process of elections? “The national assembly is aware that these are the key aspects that must be changed first if we want a level-playing field for democracy to be strong in this country,” he said.
The ADP national chairman, who said that Nigeria should emulate countries such as United States of America and Mexico, said in those climes, police chiefs were usually elected rather than appointed.
He suggested a system whereby the National Judicial Council, civil society organisations, the media and a few other apolitical groups would be saddled with the responsibility overseeing the appointments of the people manning such key agencies.
“If such appointees emerge through such a process not involving the president, their commitments would be to the people rather than the president.
Commenting on the two years in office of President Bola Tinubu, he said that looking at the act of governance, one should first have a self-introspection.
According to Sani, who contested the 2023 presidential election with Tinubu, to govern a country is not an easy task. “My approach to assessment of the president is to first ask, as the head of one’s family, how are you able to manage your home?
“From that perspective, I will say that Tinubu has done very well, because we are still one country, experiencing relative peace, not minding the skirmishes and challenges from the bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements.
“But things are not totally alright, in that there are certain things he ought to have done or should have been doing that he is not doing yet,” he said.
Sani said that Tinubu had come a long way as a `democrat,’ noting that he fought several battles for the enthronement of democracy and should be exemplary in his leadership style.
“Some of us expected that his coming should be an Eldorado for our democracy.
“Like you are aware during the last presidential election, which I also contested, and I was as well holding the position of national chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council.
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“During the collation of the results of the presidential election, INEC, at a point, was no longer following the rules and the process was about to be truncated, because the opposition had wanted a stop to the collation.
“At that time, nobody could imagine what would happen to our democracy or to all of us politicians.
“At the risk of everything, I stood up and called the chairmen of political parties, held a meeting with them and made them to understand the obvious danger of truncating the process,” he said.
Sani said, though his advice made him lose his position as the IPAC chairman, he, however, added that seeing the continuation of democracy in the country today had remained his joy.
He, however, called for a leadership style that would reflect the true meaning of democracy in the country.
“We expect equitable appointments into imported positions especially in the financial sector to stimulate growth of our economy,” he said.
Sani also urged Tinubu to further people at the centre of his administration’s programmes and policies to endear himself to the masses.
NAN
