By Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has faulted the appointments of Mr. Etekamba Umoren from Akwa Ibom State and Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne from Edo State as Resident Electoral Commissioners of INEC.
According to the group, the appointments of the duo go against the tenets of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which mandates RECs to be non-partisan and neutral.
The Chairman, of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday while briefing journalists on the upcoming elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states.
According to the group, President Bola Tinubu was toeing the line of the previous administration which it said made the mistake of appointing partisan and card-carrying members of ruling political parties as Resident Electoral Commissioners of INEC.
The group which cited the case of Adamawa state during the 2023 general elections said that Nigerians are worried that the current president is going in the same direction.
“While TMG notes the constitutional powers of the president to make these appointments, it is also unconstitutional to appoint partisan persons to these positions.
“TMG particularly kicks against the nominations of Mr. Etekamba Umoren from Akwa Ibom State and Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne from Edo State.
Mr. Etekamba Umoren is believed to be a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“He served as an aide to the current President of the Senate, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, when he was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State. He also served as the Chief of Staff to the President of the Senate when he was the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
“Mr. Etekamba Umoren’s deep involvement in partisan politics is a matter of public knowledge as he publicly defected, along with his boss, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in 2018.
“Mr. Isah Shaka Ehimeakne of Edo State is believed to be a card-carrying member of the APC, who is engaged in partisan politics both online and offline.
“Prior to his appointment as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, his Facebook page in his name, Isah Shaka, embarked on campaigns for the APC and its candidates.
“This depicts his partisanship which disqualifies him from appointment as a Resident Electoral Commissioner that requires neutrality and non-partisanship in line with the constitutional provisions,” he said.
Rafsanjani advised the INEC to look back at the credibility of the off-cycle elections in Ekiti and Osun states as a basis for improvement ahead of the November 11 election.
He further charged security agencies to provide an enabling environment for voters to exercise their civil rights owing to observed pre-election tension in the affected states.
“Assessments conducted by our partners including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and Kimpact Development Initiative have reported widespread violence across many local government areas of the three states ahead of the elections.
“These violent conducts are undemocratic and pose serious threats to the development of democracy in Nigeria. It is important for security agencies to ensure citizens can vote in peaceful electoral atmosphere across the three states,” he said.
The group further stressed the need for citizens to exercise their civic rights by voting for their preferred candidate.
It therefore urged voters to desist from aiding and abetting malpractices, shun vote trading, and keep an eagle eye on their votes.
On its part, he said that the TMG will deploy its observers across all the local government areas of the three states.
“The observers are currently undergoing training and will be deployed to observe and report through a digital on-the-spot reporting tool that has been developed. At the same time, a Central Data Centre will also be situated in Abuja with trained Data Clerks to collate and analyze reports from the field,” he noted.
