By George Mgbeleke<\/p>\n
Former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain impartial and ensure justice for all political parties regardless of political pressure.<\/p>\n
Abubakar made the call on Friday when the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), alongside his national commissioners, paid him a courtesy visit at his residence in Minna, Niger State.<\/p>\n
This came on a day the INEC management team also paid a visit to another former Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), at his Minna residence.<\/p>\n
Pledging his support for INEC ahead of the upcoming Osun governorship poll and the 2027 general elections, Abubakar urged the commission to ensure that all elections are free, fair, credible, and conducted on a level playing field.<\/p>\n
The elder statesman acknowledged the demanding nature of leading the electoral body, describing the office of the INEC Chairman as one of the most critical and challenging roles in Nigeria\u2019s democratic framework.
\n\u201cYour appointment is very, very critical to our democratic setting.
\n\u201cWith the politicians, you need to do a lot to gain their confidence because whatever you and your commissioners do, you will stand accused of bias one way or another.
\n\u201cIf anybody in the political system loses an election, you become the whipping child.<\/p>\n
They will find excuses to claim that INEC has done something wrong.
\n\u201cHowever, with the confidence we have in you, I am absolutely sure and, I pray that you will do the best you can for this country,\u201d Abubakar said.
\nHe advised the electoral chief and his team to remain steadfast, ignore unwarranted distractions, and strictly abide by their oath of office.
\n\u201cThe INEC Chairman cannot do this job alone, but the buck stops with you. I am absolutely sure that you will abide by the oath you took.
\n\u201cYou must do justice to all and sundry. All political parties are yours; you do not have any political party to call your own.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I wish you well and advise that you close your ears and shut your eyes, because no matter what you do, political parties will have a go at you and claim you have done something wrong. That is the nature of Nigerians.
\n\u201cI hope and pray you take it in good faith because our democracy depends on all of you,\u201d he added.
\nAbubakar expressed confidence in the leadership and collective capacity of the commission.<\/p>\n
He disclosed that the National Peace Committee would hold a strategic meeting in Abuja on July 29, ahead of the official signing of the Peace Accord on July 30 for the Osun governorship election.
\nHe highlighted the Osun election as a crucial test run for the 2027 general elections and reaffirmed the committee\u2019s commitment to supporting peaceful, transparent, and credible elections across Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Earlier in his remarks, Amupitan reassured Nigerians that their votes would count in both the Osun election and the 2027 general elections.
\nHe noted that the visit was to honour the elder statesmen for their ongoing contributions to national stability, democracy, and peacebuilding, as well as to seek their support and prayers toward the successful conduct of the Osun governorship and 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n
Speaking at Abubakar\u2019s residence, Amupitan praised the former leader\u2019s leadership of the NPC, noting that the Peace Accord initiative had provided a vital platform for political actors to commit to non-violence.
\n\u201cYour initiative and intervention, especially the Peace Accord, have not only provided political actors with a platform to commit to non-violence, but have also strengthened the sovereignty of the will of the Nigerian people.
\n\u201cThis prevails against disharmony and discord, for which INEC is forever grateful to you, sir.
\n\u201cWe also congratulate you on your recent 84th birthday anniversary and recognize your contributions to national unity.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the transition period in 1999, you have been involved in peacebuilding not just in Nigeria, but across Africa. History will be kind to you,\u201d Amupitan said.
\nThe INEC Chairman confirmed that the Osun governorship election will be held on Aug. 15, with the Peace Accord signing set for July 30 in Osogbo.
\nHe also reaffirmed that the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on Jan. 16, 2027, followed by the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on Feb. 6, 2027.<\/p>\n
Amupitan assured the statesmen that in spite of operational challenges, including frequent pre-election litigation, INEC remains committed to delivering inclusive elections and incorporating modern technology into its processes.
\nHe decried the lack of a strong democratic culture among political actors, citing instances where sudden court orders force the commission to reprint ballot papers at short notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust yesterday, my Legal Director informed me of a court order directing us to add another political party after we had already printed ballot papers for Osun State.
\n\u201cAll those ballot papers will likely have to be canceled and reprinted. These are some of the hurdles we face.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite these issues and the trust deficiency we currently face, we continue to do our best for a successful election,\u201d he said.
\nSpeaking to journalists after the meeting, Amupitan noted that the commission sought to draw from the former leaders\u2019 wealth of governance experience.
\nHe expressed delight that both former leaders commended INEC\u2019s dedication and pledged their continued support.<\/p>\n
Amupitan urged eligible voters to participate actively in the democratic process, reminding citizens that the third phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise closes on Sunday, July 26.
\nAmupitan was accompanied by national commissioners, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Niger State, and other management staff members of the commission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke Former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain impartial and ensure justice for all political parties regardless of political pressure. Abubakar made the call on Friday when the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15868"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15870,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15868\/revisions\/15870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}