President Must Be Stripped of Power to Appoint INEC Chair, IGP – Yabagi Sani
National Chairman of the Advanced Democratic Party (ADP), Yabagi Sani, has urged the National Assembly to strip the President of the powers to appoint the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Sani described it as undemocratic for the president—who is often a contestant in elections—to be given constitutional authority to appoint key electoral and security officials.
“It is not good for the president to appoint the INEC chairman and everybody that matters in the commission,’ he said.
“Again, the most leading security agency in a democratic government is the police. How can he appoint our IGP, the DIG and others when they are the ones who protect people and play fundamental roles in the conduct of elections?
“The National Assembly is aware that these are the key aspects that must be changed first if we want a level playing field for democracy to be strong in this country.”
Sani also advocated for Nigeria to adopt models from countries like the United States and Mexico, where police chiefs are elected rather than appointed.
He proposed that the appointment of such key officials should instead involve the National Judicial Council, civil society organisations, the media and other apolitical groups.
“If such appointees emerge through a process that does not involve the president, their commitments would be to the people rather than the president,” he said.
Assessing President Bola Tinubu’s performance after two years in office, Sani acknowledged the challenges of governance.
“My approach to assessing the president is to first ask: as the head of one’s family, how are you able to manage your home?
“From that perspective, I will say that Tinubu has done very well, because we are still one country, experiencing relative peace, notwithstanding the skirmishes and challenges posed by bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements.
“But things are not totally all right, in that there are certain things he ought to have done or should have been doing that he is not doing yet.”
Sani, who also contested the 2023 presidential election, said he expected Tinubu—given his history as a democrat—to lead by example.
“Some of us expected that his coming should be an Eldorado for our democracy. As you are aware, during the last presidential election, which I also contested, I was also holding the position of national chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
“During the collation of the results of the presidential election, INEC, at a point, was no longer following the rules, and the process was about to be truncated because the opposition wanted a stop to the collation.”
He said that although his intervention cost him the IPAC chairmanship, the continuation of democratic rule in Nigeria remains his joy.
Sani called for a leadership style that truly reflects the values of democracy in the country.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
