Former Minister of Transportation and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rotimi Amaechi, has taken a swipe at the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, alleging that the APC would not have emerged victorious in the 2015 general elections if Yakubu had been at the helm of affairs at the time.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday night, Amaechi credited former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for conducting a transparent electoral process that enabled the registration of the APC and its eventual rise to power.
“The current chairman of INEC, if he was the chairman of INEC in 2015, we would not have won. That’s an important point. May God bless Jega. Because the ground rules were clear,” Amaechi stated. “When we were to register APC, Jega opened the door and we complied with the registration requirements. He got APC registered. The current man, if you comply with all these, he would not register you.”
Amaechi further likened Yakubu to former INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu, whose tenure was marred by widespread criticisms over electoral credibility.
He expressed concern that INEC under Yakubu is exhibiting signs of partisanship, suggesting that the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system is under threat.
“Already, INEC is biased,” he alleged. “Looking at the way Nigeria has run elections, even Option A4 led us forward. At least there was transparency. You were sure of what was going on. Then we came back to meet people like Iwu and others and the current one, and things got worse.”
Amaechi warned that Nigeria may be witnessing a regression in electoral integrity, stating, “There’s a state capture using the electoral institution as a machine.”
The former governor’s comments add to growing debates over electoral reforms and the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic processes ahead of future elections.
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