Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has expressed doubts about the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission under the leadership of Prof Mahmood Yakubu, citing the commission’s failure to enforce constitutional provisions on political defections.

Fubara criticised INEC for selectively enforcing the constitutional requirement that lawmakers who defect from the party on whose platform they were elected should lose their seats.

He raised this concern as a special guest speaker at the sixth annual Freedom Online lecture, tagged “Nigeria’s Socio-Political Challenges: Whose Fault, the Leaders or the Led?”

The event took place on Thursday at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission has failed to uphold the law concerning political defections. According to the constitution, lawmakers who defect from the party on whose platform they were elected should lose their seats.

“However, INEC has been selective in enforcing this rule, raising questions about its neutrality.

When institutions fail to do the needful, the rule of law is weakened, and democracy suffers,” Fubara stated through his representative, former Rivers State Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru.

Fubara’s comment comes against the backdrop of controversy on the status of   27 lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

The 27 lawmakers, who are loyal to ex-governor Nyesom Wike, defected from the PDP to the APC in 2023 at the height of an ongoing political crisis between Wike and Fubara.

The political crisis had divided the Assembly, with four lawmakers siding with Fubara.

Following the defection of the 27 lawmakers, the other faction called on INEC to conduct by-elections to replace them, but the electoral body insisted that the matter is in court.

Meanwhile,  also speaking at the Lagos event, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, demanded the immediate removal of INEC Chairman Yakubu, so that, according to him, Nigeria could achieve meaningful electoral reforms.

Adams argued that Yakubu had presided over two general elections fraught with irregularities and credibility concerns.

He maintained that the INEC chairman’s continued stay in office would only be beneficial to politicians who expect him to act in their favour during future elections.

“We need a drastic approach to reform our electoral system. If we want credible elections in this country, Nigerians must call for the immediate removal of the incumbent INEC chairman. I don’t believe anything good can come from him anymore,” Adams said.

“It is unprecedented in our history for an INEC chairman to conduct three presidential elections. This has never happened before. There must be an ulterior motive—perhaps some believe they can continue using him to their advantage if he remains in office.”

He further questioned, “Are they saying there is no other qualified professor to take up this role? If you investigate this man, you will find that he has accumulated enormous wealth. Without a credible leader at INEC, we cannot expect credible elections.”

he chairman of the occasion, Chief Olabode George, expressed concern over the various reactions—both positive and negative—regarding General Ibrahim Babangida’s release of his memoir and his admission of an error in the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election.

George urged Nigerians to suspend further discussions on Babangida’s involvement in the June 12 saga and allow scholars of political science and history to analyse the issue based on Babangida’s account in his book.

The former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party lamented that despite the emergence of multiple leaders through elections since June 12, 1993, Nigeria has not achieved the desired progress.

Prof Akinyemi Onigbinde, addressing the event’s theme, noted that the true issue lies not in a dichotomy between leaders and the led but in the monetisation of Nigerian politics.

He observed that political officeholders remain indifferent to good governance because they can easily buy votes during elections.

Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, reinforced this point, arguing that the plight of Nigerians is exacerbated by the fact that both INEC and the judiciary have been compromised by politicians.

She emphasised the need to curb the influence of money in politics and governance.

Similarly, former Minister of Police Affairs, Omoniyi Olubolade, urged leaders to prioritise good governance for the sake of respect and posterity.

He called on Nigerians to speak out against incompetent leadership and encouraged leaders to be sincere, transparent, and committed to fighting corruption.

Setting the stage for the discussions, Managing Director, Freedom Online, Gabriel Akinadewo,  highlighted the urgent need for political and judicial reforms in Nigeria.

Other speakers at the event included former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo.

The event also drew distinguished attendees such as the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba; President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, Maureen Chigbo; past NGE President, Mustapha Isah; former Editor of The PUNCH, Najeem Jimoh; and Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos Ministry of Information and Strategy, Segun Ogundeji.