A former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, on Monday canvassed for a central electoral body to conduct all elections in the country.
Coomassie said the Constitution should be amended to scrap State Independent Electoral Commissions and empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct all elections across Nigeria.
The former police chief made the suggestion at an International Conference organized by the Political Science and International Studies Department of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
The conference has as its theme: “Deepening Democracy Through Election in Nigeria: An Assessment.”
“We should strive to enhance the independence of INEC and abolish state electoral commissions so that only one electoral body would be responsible for all elections in the country.
“INEC is a crucial element in the democratic process, it is the impartial referee in the contest between contending political forces and it must maintain that role at all times,” he said.
Coomassie stressed the need for a law to provide severe penalties for all electoral offences in order to deter the electorate, politicians, security agencies and electoral bodies among others from committing electoral offences.
In his speech, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, the INEC Chairman described the occasion as a well thought provoking event that would be positively impact on the minds of the electorate.
Yakubu, who was represented by Prof. Antonia Simbine, INEC Federal Commissioner for Abuja, called on the academia to borrow a leaf from ABU.
The ABU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba said the conference had come at the end of an unprecedented and successful election ever recorded in Nigeria’s electoral history.
“The so-called incumbency factor of the ruling party was foiled through the electoral process with the victory of the opposition political party.
“The choice of the theme is, to my opinion, visionary and timely while the sub-theme set out for deliberations certainly define the major challenges of our democratic politics in Nigeria.
“This conference must come up with clear events that have shaped and continue to shape our political practice in all ramifications,” he said.
According to him, as political scientists, the participants posses knowledge about how the Nigerian state works, its politics and ways to promote truth and justice.
Earlier, the Head of the department, Dr Yusuf Yakubu said the lecture was part of efforts to restore the lost glory of the university in promoting scholarship and academic excellence.
