The group stated that further delay in the appointment would undermine the preparations for the 2023 general elections as well as diminish public confidence in the electoral process.
Some civil society organisations in Nigeria have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop further delay in the nomination and appointment of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace 10 states whose tenure of their RECs ended.
The group stated that further delay in the appointment would undermine the preparations for the 2023 general elections as well as diminish public confidence in the electoral process.
The affected states whose tenure of their Resident Electoral Commissioners ended on July 6, 2022, are; Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Oyo, Kogi, Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba states, while Eight other RECs from Kaduna, Kano, Adamawa, Katsina, Osun, Niger, Akwa-Ibom, and Sokoto will be completing their term on August 11, 2022.
By August 11, INEC offices in 18 states will witness leadership transition exactly 215 days (seven months) to the 2023 general election.
However, nine CSOs in a joint statement issued on July 26, 2022, titled: "Joint Civil Society Statement on the Delayed Appointment of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)", also advised the President to ensure that he nominated individuals with unquestionable integrity and political neutrality
The statement partly read, "The civil society community is concerned about the delay in the appointment of RECs into INEC especially in the 10 states where the tenure of the outgone RECs has expired. No doubt, the exit of the RECs creates a leadership vacuum in those states that begs for urgent action from the President and National Assembly.
"The appointment of RECs has become very urgent considering the Commission is entering a critical phase in the preparations for the 2023 general elections, particularly with the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
"We commend the outgone and outgoing RECs for their hard work and meritorious service to the nation. Their stewardship as the heads of INEC in the states they served has contributed to the marked improvement in elections in Nigeria and the strengthening of our democracy. As they finish their tenures, we wish them the best in their future endeavours.
It added, "Effective electoral administration is contingent on the sufficiency of competent, and professional staff with the legal power to exercise regulatory authority over electoral processes.
"An understaffed INEC at the state level is incapable of delivering credible, transparent, inclusive and conclusive elections at all levels.
"It is therefore important for President Buhari to prioritise exercising his constitutional power to appoint new RECs into INEC to avail the Commission with the requisite manpower, and leadership it requires to organise credible elections in 2023. Further delay in the appointment will undermine the preparations for the general elections as well as diminish public confidence in the electoral process.
"It is critical for the legitimacy and success of the 2023 general election that the appointment of the RECs is concluded expeditiously in a transparent, non-partisan and professional manner. To this end, the Civil Society community makes the following call;
"That President Muhammadu Buhari should as a matter of urgency, expedite the nomination of individuals with unquestionable integrity, professional competence, experience, and political neutrality as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners;
"That in making nominations into INEC, President Buhari should be guided by the judgment of the Federal High Court on affirmative action wherein the court directed that all appointments must comply with the 35% affirmative action for women.
"In the same vein, the President should ensure the representation of Persons with disability (PWDs) and young people in the appointments. That the Senate accelerates the process of screening nominees without compromising due diligence and comprehensive scrutiny of nominations forwarded by the President."
The CSOs who signed the statement are, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre, Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, Centre of Media and Society, The Albino Foundation, Elect Her, The Kukah Centre, Partners for Electoral Reform and Inclusive Friends Association.