Peterside calls INEC under Mahmood Yakubu a “national disgrace”
Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Anap Foundation, has described the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under its former chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, as a “national disgrace.”
Peterside made the remark on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, while reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Joash Amupitan as the new INEC chairman.
Amupitan, who succeeded Yakubu after his two-term tenure ended in October, was sworn in on October 23, a week after Senate confirmation.
Yakubu, who first assumed office in 2015, oversaw two general elections and served as Nigeria’s chief electoral officer for nearly a decade.
When asked about his expectations of Amupitan, Peterside said: “I will never say never, but the INEC that was led by Mahmood Yakubu was a national disgrace. You just have to go on their IReV. If you have time, I will take you there myself and show you result sheets they upload — mutilated, sometimes with figures changed, and in some cases, they even forget to change the words.”
Peterside also criticised the judiciary for failing to uphold integrity in election cases and backed proposals to amend the Electoral Act to shift the burden of proof from petitioners to INEC.
“I heard former governor Dickson saying in the senate that we have to amend the Electoral Act in some important way,” he said. “See, this is where our judiciary has not lived up to the required standards. I agree with Senator Dickson that the burden of proof should shift to INEC.
“You can’t allow a situation where INEC can do anything, bring out rubbish results — mutilated and everything — and then argue that it’s for the victim to prove that what they’ve done is wrong, when even a blind man can see that what they’ve done is wrong.”
The banker and public policy advocate warned that growing distrust in INEC and the judiciary could push Nigerians toward self-help during future elections if confidence is not restored.
