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 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) in Enugu, also proposed a minimum 50 per cent threshold for presidential elections, independent appointment of electoral commissioners, special tribunals for election disputes and the introduction of independent candidacy, among other reforms.
He said Nigeria could conduct credible elections even with the existing electoral framework if political actors and institutions sincerely obeyed the rules, but argued that the country needed a fundamentally improved system ahead of future elections.
The conference, organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), is themed “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive.”
