Onaiyekan, Osigwe fault electoral system
Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, and the former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, on Thursday, called for a far-reaching overhaul of Nigeria’s electoral system, warning that the quality of the country’s elections appeared to be declining rather than improving. Onaiyekan, who delivered the keynote address at the […]
Former Catholic Archbishop John Cardinal Onaiyekan and former Nigerian Bar Association Chairman Mazi Afam Osigwe have called for a significant overhaul of Nigeria's electoral system. At the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, Onaiyekan proposed a minimum 50% threshold for presidential elections, independent appointment of electoral commissioners, special tribunals for election disputes, and independent candidacy.
He also criticized the current system, suggesting that Nigeria could still hold credible elections if political actors and institutions strictly adhered to the rules. Osigwe echoed these concerns, stating that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of electoral disputes globally, and that the increasing involvement of courts in electoral matters has led to the "judicialisation" of the electoral process.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, highlighted the growing threat of artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, urging journalists to prioritize verification and to distinguish between facts, allegations, and opinions in their reporting.
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