Acting President Goodluck Jonathan may persuade the celebrated former Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Emeka Anyaoku, to accept the position of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in June this year.
But Ikemba Nnewi and leader of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, thinks that the current INEC boss, Professor Maurice Iwu deserves to be reappointed.
Authoritative sources told Sunday Independent on Friday that Anyaoku had already been suggested to Jonathan with the Acting President only worried whether the Anambra high chief would accept the appointment.
Anyaoku’s unique selling point, according to those pushing his nomination, is that he would bring credibility to the Commission if he accepts to handle the job.
“The world knows Anyaoku and what he stands for. He has a name to protect and a name that can inspire confidence and also create positive image internationally for INEC,” said a Presidency source on Thursday night.
The source hinted that among the names touted in the media so far, none of them is qualified. “Olisa Agbakoba is a politician, Dora Akunyili is a politician; just like that. We need somebody who is a little bit apolitical and with the required clout to handle the job.”
He observed that Anyaoku has a global administrative ability to handle the bureaucracy at INEC, “because from whatever angle you look at it, that is not a job for a new comer, the bureaucracy is huge; and Anyaoku is capable.”
Anyaoku’s profile went higher while he also faced his greatest challenge in his career during the late Sani Abacha’s military regime when Nigeria came under international condemnation over the killing of Ogoni activists, among them, Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Our source added that although he was not sure if the renowned administrator had been contacted for the job, “the prayer on every lip is that he accepts the offer when made and move in to clean up the place.”
Iwu’s tenure will expire in June this year. He was confirmed by the Senate for appointment in June 2005 for a five-year term.
Iwu’s first test as INEC chairman was the 2007 general elections, which were almost marred by logistics problems and allegations of irregularities perpetrated by the political class.
Both local and international rights organisations have mounted pressure on the Federal Government to sack Iwu although none could specify in which particular area the INEC chairman could be blamed for the failure at the polls.
The argument, however, has centred on the feeling that most of the elections conducted by INEC and winners declared have been overturned by the courts for various reasons.
Sources confirmed on Friday that Iwu had concluded arrangements to quit INEC and may not honour any reappointment if offered.
“He has even started recruiting staff for his private office in Abuja. It is becoming clearer that he is eager to quit the job, he is not keen about staying back,” said one of his aides on Friday in Abuja.
He said: “From the best of my knowledge, nobody has asked Iwu if he wants to stay back, that is if he is interested in a re-appointment. So I don’t think there is any doubt about his exit.
“This is why a fresh appointment has to be made immediately; someone has to understudy Iwu for a specific time before his term expires, except the next appointee is already a staff of INEC.”
On whether Iwu could possibly be reappointed, he said: “One thing that is certain is that he will not have his tenure renewed, no matter how much he has improved, his tenure will not be renewed.
“Yes, some of the bye-elections conducted by INEC are better than the previous ones. That is not sufficient reasons for him to be kept back. Can you imagine the outcry that will follow an announcement that Iwu has been reappointed?
“The 2007 elections under his watch brought a lot of image problems to INEC. I am not saying he was responsible for the rigging, but the fact remains that whatever happened was on his watch and people naturally attributed those irregularities to him.”
Meanwhile, Ojukwu has endorsed the re-appointment of Professor Maurice Iwu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), provided that future polls would be modelled after what most observers considered as the success story of the February 6 Governorship ballot in Anambra.
Ojukwu, APGA Presidential Candidate in the 2007 general election, was in court alongside Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Action Congress (AC) to challenge outcome of the ballot superintended by Iwu.
Regardless, Ojukwu dismissed widely-held claims that Iwu performed woefully and does not merit reappointment, saying that nobody can satisfy human beings.
Ojukwu spoke on Saturday at his Enugu residence where he held a three-hour closed door meeting with the INEC chairman whose tenure lapses in June. Talk of his replacement has dominated the political landscape, with people torn into different camps on whether or not to replace the man.
Ojukwu reiterated that he was in politics to defend the interest of Ndigbo – the same reason he went into the famed 30-month civil war against the Nigerian state and for which the Ikemba Nnewi insisted he owes “no apology” to anybody.
He said he was glad to be part of the Anambra ballot won by Governor Peter Obi of APGA, and extended the appreciation of the Anambrarians and entire Ndigbo for the success of the exercise.
His words: “I welcome you, but not only that, I want to use the opportunity to transmit to you the good feelings and thanks of the entire Igbo race.
“I speak with authority and thank you for your efforts and congratulate you for your ability to present to the world and Nigeria a Nigerian first free and fair and successful election. Mr. chairman, some day, not too long ago, I was being asked, what was my opinion and what was it that propelled my political career. I remember very clearly my response. It is appropriate that I repeat it here that I came into politics because I see a gap. My aim is to fill that gap and that gap is the defence of Igbo interest.
“I repeat it because I want people to remember that I am not making any apologies about it. I have come into politics to protect the interest of Ndigbo and that is it. I don’t stop anybody hiring whatever structure to protect as they wish any tribal interest because for me if tribes were not necessary, God will not have created the Igbo tribe and allotted me to it.
“Having said that, we saw, we witnessed, and am glad we have been able to be part of that whole exercise, an election, open, transparent, cool, which has been and is still being applauded by not just the participants, Ndigbo, but the entire world.
“One of the reasons I am making this little statement is that I want everybody living here to feel free and to claim the success of Ndigbo in conducting for the first time, the election which Mr. Chairman, you (Iwu) conducted in Anambra State. Accept the entire gratitude of the entire people of Anambra State.
“I understand there are now a few voices now rising, saying, perhaps he didn’t do this quite so well as the chairman. If I have to comment on that, let me say this, if you even gave to every voter in that Anambra election from your pocket say a thousand naira each, there will still be complaints after some time that you didn’t ask for your wife’s permission before spending your own money. I acknowledge the goodness of that election. If you continue like this, I will endorse you for re-appointment.”
Iwu said he was on a working visit to the South-East to inspect a special project of INEC in Abia to set up a National Voters Registry that would serve as a repository of voters’ registers in Nigeria.
The INEC boss, who was accompanied by some resident electoral commissioners (RECs), thanked Ojukwu for the role he played to ensure that the election was free, fair, and peaceful, beginning from the campaigns to the day of the election.
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