Femi Falana SAN, a human right lawyer and activist has demanded that the appointment of partisan Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) be challenged in court, as their political affiliations made it illegal.
Falana made the assertion while commenting on the appointments on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
CRUX NEWS recalls that prior to the approval of appointed RECs for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the senate, petitions were raised by concerned Nigerians over the political affiliations of some nominees, however, the senate regardlessly confirmed all the nominees.
Falana condemned the confirmation of four nominees, stating that three are staunch members of the All Progressive People’s Party (APC) and the last a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member.
He added that the move by the senate would compound the already existing problems of conducting credible elections by the INEC.
“You can’t have a card-carrying member of a political party or a loyalist of a political party to be a Resident Electoral Commissioner or a national commissioner; you complicate the problem for INEC to have credible elections.”
According to the SAN, though the PDP in Akwa Ibom state have gone to court to challenge the appointment of Mr Etekamba Umoren, a former chief of staff to the Senate President, Godwills Akpabio as the REC of the state, the appointment of the other three partisan RECs should be also challenged.
He also stressed that if the illegality of their appointment was proved by the court, the Senate confirmation will not hold water under the law.
