AS Nigeria marked 64 years of independence on October 1, political analyst and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Jibrin Ibrahim, a professor, has decried the ‘deliberate abandonment’ of electoral reforms by politicians in the country.
He also frowned at growing corruption in the nation’s judiciary.
In an exclusive interview with The ICIR – one of the series to mark Nigeria’s 64th independence tagged Independence Watch – Ibrahim voiced his concerns about the country’s political system and economic policies under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Reflecting on the Justice Uwais-led electoral reform committee’s recommendations, which he believed could have revolutionised Nigeria’s electoral system, Ibrahim noted that successive governments failed to implement the reforms recommended by the committee.
According to him, the political class has no interest in improving the integrity of elections, noting that Tinubu’s administration, much like previous ones, showed little commitment to advancing electoral transparency, and instead benefitted from a flawed system.
He criticised the ruling elite for sidelining recommendations that would have curtailed electoral malpractice, such as the establishment of independent electoral bodies.
“I think the electoral reform committee, which I served under Justice Uwais, was very focused on looking at the problems with our electoral system and seeking solutions to those problems. The first thing we focused on was that for the Electoral Commission to work optimally, it should be fully independent.
“We made recommendations on how to choose leaders of the electoral commission through advertisement, through public bid for people to be nominated, through public scrutiny, and finally processing through the National Judicial Commission to make sure people who run the electoral commission are very competent and have integrity. That proposal has never been implemented.”
The former director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) also raised concerns about the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly in light of its performance during the 2023 general elections.
He noted that the failure of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) to upload real-time election results damaged public trust in the electoral process.
The ICIR reported how the 2023 presidential election was marred with several irregularities, including electoral malpractice, violence, and malfunction of BVAS in some polling units.
Nigerian courts are becoming too involved with electoral processes
Beyond the electoral process, Ibrahim criticised the judiciary’s growing involvement in elections, particularly through tribunal rulings, noting that corrupt practices within the judiciary had eroded its independence and integrity.
He posited that politicians had compromised the judiciary, particularly in cases where election outcomes were being challenged.
Ibrahim referred to cases where judges allegedly accepted bribes to deliver favourable judgments.
“People will vote, and at the end, it’s the court that will decide who the winner is. In an election, it is citizens who have voted that determine who the winner is. We made very clear recommendations that in an election, the onus of those who are contesting outcomes should be to call on the electoral commission to demonstrate with facts and evidence who was the actual winner,” he said.
He further stressed that without a strong and independent judiciary, Nigeria’s democracy remained fragile, adding that the judiciary should serve as the ultimate check on electoral malpractice.
While warning that a compromised judiciary would undermine the democratic process, Ibrahim called for stricter measures to hold corrupt judges accountable and sought reforms in the judiciary to restore public confidence in its impartiality.
Tinubu’s economic policies fueling hardship
Speaking on Tinubu’s economic policies, particularly the controversial removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira, Ibrahim argued that these measures, introduced without sufficient palliative support, worsened the economic situation for millions of Nigerians.
The ICIR reported that since President Bola Tinubu announced his administration’s removal of fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, the country has been faced with hardship and difficulties.
The development has since led to an increase in fuel pump prices, astronomical rise in the cost of transportation, and inflation of food prices.
Reacting to this, Ibrahim noted that these policies, while perhaps necessary for long-term economic reform, had plunged millions of Nigerians into deeper hardship.
Ibrahim further expressed disappointment with the legislature, describing it as subservient to the executive.
According to him, the current leadership of the National Assembly has become more of a rubber stamp for the presidency rather than an independent institution.
Ibrahim, however, urged Nigerians to demand better governance and greater accountability from their leaders.
He argued that without citizen involvement in pushing for electoral and judicial reforms, as well as transparency in government, Nigeria’s democracy would continue to suffer setbacks.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M