Public Accountability and Democratic Reforms Advocate, Ezenwa Nwagwu, has stated that Nigerians are in no mood to allow the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use any election as a learning experience.
Nwagwu made the remark during an interview on Prime Time, a programme aired on Arise Television on Thursday.
He emphasized that internal reforms within INEC must be comprehensive, particularly regarding the quality of individuals appointed as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
His comments come shortly after the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central region as the new INEC Chairman.
According to Nwagwu, the timing of the appointment, coming just before off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra and Osun States, makes it crucial for the new INEC boss to hit the ground running.
“I think that for now what needs to happen is to ensure we have an INEC chairman who understands the challenges ahead, especially when the appointment is coming close to some state elections,” he said.
“There are no learning curves in INEC. Nigerians are in a hurry — they won’t wait for anyone to use an election as a learning curve.”
