The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged the newly confirmed Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chair, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, to work as a patriot and not a regional bigot.

The group admonished him to put all his heart, mind and resources to work for Nigeria and not for Northern Nigeria as it was in 2019 because of posterity and most importantly his children, adding: “We want him to always reflect on this following words each time he enters his office, ‘What legacy will I bequeath to my children?’.”

HURIWA said he should work like a man with a conscience and fear of God because aside the current President, he, as the chairman of INEC, has the responsibility to make or mar Nigeria. This is because the task of conducting election in a volatile environment like Nigeria is challenging.

It identified two things that may happen in 2023: a well conducted election acceptable to all stakeholders, peaceful, transparent, accountable, free and fair or alternatively, which is the devil’s option; the beginning of the end of Nigeria in which everybody shouts Nunc Dimittis (it is over – to your tent oh Israel) in which case each and everyone will answer his or her father’s name.

The first task for the brand new chairman; the old things have passed and the new dawn is here. Firstly, Mr Chairman, please clean up the national voters’ register because it is polluted, it is hijacked by the north in such a way that even a three year old is registered, even as the south is not left out but it is more notorious in the north.

“Nigerians don’t have to waste three hours just to be registered and another three or months to receive depending on the sound of your name just like the National coordinator of HURIWA could not receive his voter’s card in Abuja just because his name is Onwubiko and not Abdul or Yakubu or Nuhu,” the rights group said.

These things happened under this same chairman in his last dispensation but now we are seeing him as a born again chairman so he should behave as one and say no to division and yes to one Nigeria.

“Second, he should work with the National Assembly to get the country clean Electoral Act that will meet the taste of time and not the electoral Act that will be changed like a daily newspaper, everyday amendment and thereby costing the tax payers hugely.

“Third, the chairman needs to do in-house clean sweep to remove all professional election riggers embedded in the INEC. He should stop the use of ASUU members to conduct elections because they are the world's worst election riggers.

“INEC should make use of their staff so they can easily be held responsible instead of the corrupt professors. INEC needs to recruit better staffs and pay them well in order to deliver professionally.

“Lastly, INEC must provide oversight duties to registered political parties in line with the constitutional provisions of sections 225, 226 and 227 of the Nigerian constitution,” HURIWA noted.

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