The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, has defended President Bola Tinubu against calls to intervene in the controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in the voter register released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amadi argued that the President should not be held accountable for the credibility of the electoral register, maintaining that the responsibility for investigating and resolving the concerns lies squarely with INEC.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, the political analyst described the President as a political competitor rather than an authority responsible for regulating elections. He insisted that the commission must be held accountable for any shortcomings in the electoral process.
He said, “This is where the parties should come in. Look, the voter register is the most important document framework mechanism for credible election. It’s what the BVAS works on.
“So I think the first thing is the INEC chairman himself coming out to say, you know what, we are going to do an independent audit.
“This one is not from Mr President. The president is a competitor, so don’t ask the president to come and do anything.
“It’s not the president’s fault. The president is judged like every competitor. If the regulator has screwed up, the regulator should clear the mess.”
Amadi emphasised that INEC has the constitutional and institutional responsibility to supervise the electoral process, including the conduct of its permanent and ad hoc personnel. He maintained that the commission, rather than the presidency, must account for any lapses in the management of the register.
He warned that the controversy could erode the renewed enthusiasm among Nigerians, particularly young voters, to participate in elections. According to him, recent indications of increased voter interest and declining apathy could be reversed if concerns about the integrity of the electoral system are not properly addressed.
The analyst stressed that public confidence in INEC must be protected ahead of the next general election, noting that the commission’s current leadership assumed office at a time when institutional credibility was already a major concern.
He called on the electoral body to acknowledge the concerns raised, issue an apology to Nigerians and publish a definite schedule outlining the steps it would take to review, verify and sanitise the voter register.
Amadi also drew attention to reported discrepancies in voter figures across some polling units, citing allegations that registrations in certain locations had jumped from approximately 400 to 1,500.
He questioned the reliability of the national register’s reported total of 103 million voters, arguing that the figures require proper scrutiny to establish their accuracy.
To restore confidence, he recommended an independent professional audit of INEC’s databases, procedures and registration records. He further urged political parties to push for a transparent assessment that would be free from partisan influence.
Amadi proposed involving recognised professional institutions, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, in the audit to strengthen its credibility and ensure an objective examination of the disputed figures.
