Next INEC Boss Must Be a Person of Integrity, Not a Political Loyalist – SAN Fidelis Oditah

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Fidelis Oditah, has urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint a person of unquestionable integrity, independence, and competence as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme on Wednesday, Oditah emphasized that Nigerians deserve an impartial and trustworthy electoral umpire capable of restoring confidence in the nation’s democratic process.

“The INEC chairman must be impartial, independent, competent, accountable, professional, and trustworthy. No one who witnessed the 2023 elections can have very good things to say about INEC,” he said.

The former Delta State governorship aspirant stressed that Nigeria’s major electoral challenges stem not from weak laws but from poor governance and character flaws among key players. According to him, “We cannot legislate integrity into existence; the problem is not the law but the people.”

Oditah also faulted what he called “dodgy jurisprudence” in post-election litigations, particularly on the issue of result transmission through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), warning that judicial inconsistencies further erode public trust in the electoral process.