NCA Chair Urges INEC to Deliver Credible Elections as Nigeria Turns 66
As Nigeria marks 66 years of independence on October 1, the Northern Christian Association (NCA) has pressed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that next year's elections are credible and transparent.
NCA chairman Rev. John Joseph Hayab said the country has made some gains since independence but should have gone much further, blaming part of its development difficulties on weak leadership and flaws in the way elections are conducted.
Speaking to journalists in Kaduna, Hayab said democracy would deliver better governance if citizens could choose their leaders without hindrance and then hold those leaders to account for what they do in office.
"At 66, we're supposed to have made more progress than this. Well, we've made some progress, we must not also shy away from acknowledging some success," he said.
The cleric said making the electoral process more accountable was essential if elected officials are to respond better to the needs of the people.
He argued that officeholders would take their duties more seriously if they understood that voters could remove them when they fail to deliver.
Hayab also asked INEC's chairman, its commissioners and its ad hoc staff to carry out their duties with credibility, honesty and transparency.
He warned electoral officials against allowing themselves to be used to rig elections, noting that they are Nigerians who will live with the consequences of their actions long after leaving office.
Turning to the electorate, Hayab appealed to Nigerians not to let voter apathy keep them at home, urging them to take an active part in elections instead of staying away from polling units for fear that their ballots will not be counted.
He said a low turnout can open the door to manipulation, explaining that when only a small share of registered voters casts a ballot, the unused votes become easier to tamper with.
The NCA chairman also urged political parties and their candidates to centre their campaigns on the issues that affect Nigerians, rather than on violence, personal attacks, ethnicity, religion or regional sentiment.
"Politics is supposed to be a time for knowledge gathering. We want to see people who understand how they can solve our banking problem, our agricultural problem, our educational problem, our aviation problem, our maritime problem," he said.
He called on parties to put forward clear programmes so that voters can judge candidates on how they intend to tackle the country's challenges.
Hayab further said Nigeria's development would improve if citizens saw themselves first as Nigerians, rather than through religious, ethnic and regional lenses.
With the 2027 general elections in view, he urged Nigerians to take part in the electoral process and to weigh candidates on their programmes, their records and their ability to address the problems facing the country.
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