Date Published: 10/28/09

Dear Sir,

We should believe in unbundling of INEC

The recent national discourse on electoral act reform should be taken seriously. Recently, notable Nigerians have insisted that President Umaru Yar’Adua may after all not be sincere about this issue that is now in the front burner.

Justice Uwais had suggested that the INEC as it were, should be unbundled, an idea most Nigerians agree with and therefore pushing within the space of the discourse. Professor Maurice Iwu, the INEC Chairman, need not be part of the discussants (umpires) on the issue of whether or not to unbundle INEC.  Iwu was seen in that light when he rose and spoke against Justice Uwais who had suggested the need. The President should call Prof Iwu to order.

Unbundling of INEC involves that those muddled and bulked powers hitherto to INEC as a body should be dismembered in a way that transparency and equity are crystallized in the process of our elections. It is right that we should have different bodies, if you like, whose responsibility is to register and monitor political parties; another that should be responsible for anything that has to do with the actual voting exercise and yet another one that would screen those names submitted by various parties for the purposes of being elected. Above all, the President should not, as obtained presently, appoint single-handedly, the head of any of the bodies as doing so would amount to that he who pays the piper would dictate the tune.

The above are simple to handle if the President and the ruling party want to advance our democracy.

Chief Barnabas Osuanlele

189 Ikpoba Road

Benin City, Edo State. ( barnabasosuanlele@yahoo.com )