Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari on Monday opted for the review of the nation’s justice administration of electoral tribunals as one of the best ways of ensuring free and fair elections in the country.
He stated it was not fair enough for election tribunals to nullify elections and order for rerun, saying those responsible for flawed elections should no longer go unpunished.
Buhari made this statement shortly after administering oaths of office on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and five national commissioners at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The five commissioners inaugurated alongside Yakubu were Mrs. Amina Zakari, Mr. Solomon Soyebi, Prof. Antonia Okoosi-Simbine, Dr. Muhammed Mustafa Lecky and Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo.
The President said all those who contributed to flawed elections, whether individuals, political parties, security agents,party agents, electoral body, or public officers such as electoral staff or security agents,should be made to pay for their actions and inaction.
Those responsible for violence and thuggery during elections should not be spared because the nation would not get it right if there is any form of covering up,he added.
He noted that since the governing All Progressives Congress he had promised Nigerians change, the change should be all-embracing as far as electioneering was concerned.
He said the change starts from change of attitudes, change of work ethics, change in attitude to corruption and corrupt practices, change of party political conduct – right from primaries to the emergence of candidates and finally the conduct of elections.
The President also promised to respect the independence of INEC by not interfering in its activities and by encouraging the body to conduct transparent,free and fair elections.
While promising to take the campaign of free and fair elections to all the states, he said the situation where ruling parties in the states win all local government seats does not augur well for the country if it is against the people's wish.
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