The National Muslim Youth Association (NMYA), an alumni group of the Muslim Tertiary Students Association, has declared that credible elections are impossible in Nigeria as long as the President and state governors retain the power to appoint chairmen and members of electoral bodies.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, NMYA President Abdulraham Aliyu and other members of the association aligned themselves with Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah’s proposed bill seeking to remove such appointment powers from the executive arm.
The group urged the National Assembly to consider and pass the bill to amend the constitution and establish a new, independent electoral commission to ensure free and fair elections.
According to the association, technological systems such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal cannot stop election rigging without an impartial and credible electoral body.
“It has become necessary to establish a new INEC composed of neutrally appointed commissioners to guarantee competence, integrity, and impartiality,” NMYA stated.
The group endorsed Senator Obiorah’s proposal for a restructured INEC with thirteen commissioners—six elected by major labour and professional organizations, six nominated by the United Nations, and one observer from Transparency International.
They argued that such an internationally composed electoral body would be harder to compromise, help ensure secret balloting, and make vote buying difficult.
Addressing critics who questioned foreign participation, NMYA pointed out that foreigners have long played crucial roles in Nigeria’s development—providing medical care for top officials, debt forgiveness, aid, and technical expertise in infrastructure.
The association also praised the United Nations for its continuous partnership in strengthening Nigeria’s governance institutions, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and assisting in humanitarian efforts, particularly in the North-East.
NMYA maintained that electoral reform is the foundation for restoring good governance and ending the cycle of poverty and unemployment that has left millions of Nigerian youths struggling.
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