From Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan

As the tenure of the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure ends in November this year, political scientists, scholars, and other stakeholders have urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint a credible, honest, bold, and non-person person as the chief electoral umpire of the country.

Yakubu was appointed in 2015 by the then President Muhammadu Buhari for an initial period of five years. He was re-appointed in 2020 for another five-year tenure, which ends in November 2025.

This means that President Tinubu needs to appoint another INEC Chairman before November, which will be ratified by the Senate.

Against this backdrop, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr Yemi Farounbi; a former Chief of Staff to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Prof. Gbade Ojo; the Head of Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, Professor Dhikru Adewale Yagboyaju; a Professor of Law and Vice Chancellor of a Rwandan University, Olu Ojedokun and a renowned public affairs commentator, Prof. Olabode Lucas, on Tuesday, urged Tinubu to shop for a credible, impartial, non-partisan, and independent-minded person as the Chief Electoral Umpire of the country.

They made the call in separate interviews with The Guardian in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

In his submission, Farounbi emphasised that the person to be appointed must be politically, emotionally, and socially neutral so that he or she can be trusted by all parties to conduct acceptable and credible polls.

The elder statesman said: “The INEC Chairman is the most senior electoral umpire in the country. Therefore, the person to be appointed must be politically, emotionally, and socially neutral so that he or she can be trusted by all parties to conduct acceptable and credible polls.

“The person must be impartial, objective, and can be trusted to be independent. The person must embrace technological innovations that will berth e-voting.”

On his part, Prof. Ojo, who teaches comparative politics at the University of Ilorin, charged Tinubu to nominate a credible, capable, honest, and non-partisan person as the INEC chairman.

The former political adviser to the governor urged the Senate to patriotically do their job in screening the candidate and ensure that anyone with political affiliation is not allowed to preside over the electoral body.

In his remarks, Yagboyaju urged Tinubu to dispassionately screen the resume of prospective successors to the current chairman by involving respected Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country.

The professor said: “In view of the low level of confidence displayed by the average Nigerian towards many decisions of government, especially concerning appointments into a sensitive position like that of the INEC Chairman, I will like to advise President Bola Tinubu to dispassionately screen the CV of prospective successors to the current chairman by involving respected CSOs in the country.

“This will require, going by best practice, and diligent background checks, including the antecedents of individuals and security reports on such people.

“To ensure confidence in the selection and appointment of the next INEC Chairman is to strengthen democracy in Nigeria.”

On his part, Lucas said: “The president, being a Yoruba man from the Southwest interested in contesting the next presidential election, I will advise President Tinubu to appoint a seasoned Professor from the North Central, preferably from Benue or Plateau State as the next INEC Chairman. Like the Southwest, nobody from the North Central has ever been an INEC Chairman.”

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However, Ojedokun urged Tinubu to appoint the chairman from within the INEC staff pool.

The VC said: “I think we have had a few decades of uninterrupted civil rule, we are attempting to build a democracy and of course, INEC plays a critical role in fostering this.

“Over the years. expertise has been built by some of the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs). They know the ropes. So it’s high time we tried appointing from within the INEC itself – those who have already distinguished themselves in organising elections.”