The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Kwara state, Comrade Issa Aremu has said that the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman should be advertised and candidates profiled and screened before confirmation to ensure that the best candidate emerge.
Speaking in Kaduna on the postponed presidential and National Assembly elections, Aremu expressed hope that INEC would conduct free, fair and credible elections. He said the position of who leads the electoral body has assumed such importance that the position is best taken through public scrutiny to make it competitive.
Aremu wondered why the post was reserved for the academic adding that: “We were eager to vote last Saturday, but INEC couldn’t conduct the elections. There is room for improvement. It is not too late for INEC to make amends and ensure that the February 23 election and March 9 gubernatorial and state assembly election became a reality. But INEC need to apologise to Nigerians for shifting the election.
“The apology will rekindle our hope that the postponement won’t repeat itself. You can imagine how difficult it was for people who travelled home to vote. Schools were closed, states declared public holiday. We have hope in INEC as an institution. This is the sixth transition that Nigeria is conducting and we have 84 million voters and that is the population of Egypt and twice the population of Ghana. Nigerians should go out and vote peacefully for candidates of their choice.’’
