Babatunji Wusu –
- The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council criticized Obasanjo’s remarks about the 2023 elections and INEC leadership.
- Obasanjo called for new, credible leadership in INEC to restore trust and prevent corruption.
- The Ohanaeze Youth Council accused Obasanjo of laying the foundation for Nigeria’s flawed electoral system during his presidency.
- Okwu Nnabuike pointed out that under Obasanjo, election results were often manipulated and reforms were not initiated.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his comments on Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, particularly his remarks about the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The criticism comes after Obasanjo, during the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the United States, described the 2023 elections as a “travesty” and called for the appointment of new, credible leaders for INEC. He suggested that these new leaders should have short tenures to avoid political influence and corruption. Additionally, Obasanjo accused INEC of deliberately sabotaging the electoral process.
Obasanjo further emphasized the need for thorough vetting of INEC officials to ensure their impartiality and integrity. He also called for new leadership at all levels of government—federal, state, local government, and even municipal—citing the need to restore trust in Nigeria’s electoral system. Referring to technological innovations like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), Obasanjo acknowledged their potential to improve electoral transparency but lamented their failure in the 2023 elections.
In response, the National President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, accused Obasanjo of laying the groundwork for a flawed electoral system during his tenure. Okwu contended that under Obasanjo’s leadership, elections were marred by manipulation, with results often written before voting had even concluded. He recalled that election results were allegedly decided in government houses and politicians’ residences, and the popular phrase “go to court” was used to dismiss election grievances.
Okwu also referenced the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who publicly acknowledged that the election that brought him to power was deeply flawed. Okwu argued that despite these issues, Obasanjo did not initiate meaningful electoral reforms during his presidency.
