Dear Mr President,
I warmly felicitate you on your birthday and can only wish you all the best as you pilot the affairs of our country in the remaining years of your term as president. I pray that you use this period of Ramadan and your birthday as a sober reflection to deeply look into the concerns of most Nigerians home and abroad.
Yes, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the court pronounced you the President of Nigeria with lots of mixed feelings from many Nigerians across board.
The 2023 general elections have come and gone like previous elections we have had since inception of democratic rule.
Some elections we have had in the past have been adduced to be free and fair just like the June 12 election. While some could be said free and fair but had issues with some of the results which the then winner, late President Umoru Yar’Adua, magnanimously accepted that there were flaws in the 2007 election.
Mr President sir, I wouldn’t want to dwell on 2023 election because it has come and gone but we cannot forget so soon because of some damning report from different international observers, petitioners and even Nigerians. They unanimously believe the election was grossly flawed. It will be commending and magnanimous to admit this fact and look at improving the electoral system moving forward. All what Nigerian people crave for is to have confidence in the electoral system and for me, that is the true essence of any democratic government.
I also believe this is what you have always proclaimed all these years and for most Nigerians as we approach the 2027 general elections, this gives you an opportunity to live by your word as a democrat you’ve always professed.
Let the Nigerian people elect or nominate their electoral officers as we approach 2027 general elections. What you enjoyed today was democratically demonstrated by the former president in 2015, HE Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Let the Nigerian people decide their faith without interference.
Mr President sir, as a Nigerian and one of the voices of the opposition, we are all in the Nigerian project and I believe if these my proposed recommendation is sincerely looked into, trust me, the Nigerian people will believe you don’t have any agenda or intention to turn Nigeria into a one-party state or trying to suppress opposing views. I strongly believe you will definitely look into these recommendations after you peruse.
These are my proposed recommendations:
1) The appointment of the INEC Chairman should not be done by the office of the president.
2) The INEC Chairman must be selected from the Nigerian people through a referendum comprising the Civil Society group like the Labour Union, Trade Union. Also CAN, NSCIA, NBA, NMA. YIAGA Africa, The Patriot, Student Union.
Socio Cultural Organization like Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
3) These groups of people will meet and draw guidelines for the selection of nominees.
4) Each of the six geopolitical zones will have an INEC Chairman/Chairperson selected from nominees by these group of people.
5) Also, every state electoral commissioner will be selected in a highly contested election or consensus by these group of distinguished people.
6) The INEC Chairman nominated by these body will supervise, collate election results in that region and present at the national collation centre.
7) An INEC Chairman with impeccable record will be nominated amongst the 6 geopolitical INEC Chairmen and also a Secretary from one of the Six. They will be nominated by these same group of distinguished Nigerians.
8) Finally Mr President, with these in place, the electronic transmission of election of result in real time cannot be overemphasised. It’s time to make it work come 2027.
These are some of the recommendations I present to your office as the President and Commander in Chief and to the good people you preside over. With this in place, the Nigerian people will have a better trusted electoral system knowing their voices would be heard since the selection of the electoral umpires came from the Nigerian people.
Let the best man win so we can have a rancour-free and fair election devoid of litigation and or international embarrassment. The ball is in your court Mr President. This is the time to write your name in the history of Nigeria as someone who put Nigeria in the global map of true democratic institution or you embed your name as one that intentionally decimated democratic principles and its institution.
The choice is yours.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
*Dr Seye O’Dairo*
Writes in from Lagos.
Cc: The National Assembly
Cc: Justices of The Federation
Cc: All Civil Society Organisations.
Cc: All Religious Organisations
Cc:Afenifere, ACF, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Cc: The Patriot.
Cc: NBA, NMA
Cc: CUPP
Cc: The Nigerian People
