The Independent National Electoral Commission has come under fire from human rights advocate and attorney Chukwudi Ezeobika for failing to exercise due diligence and properly investigate the data and credentials presented to it by candidates for public office.
According to the activist, the election umpire’s actions or inactivity has exposed the nation to humiliation in front of the international community, raising questions about the legitimacy of the President’s credentials.
These were detailed in a statement that the attorney signed and provided to newsmen on Monday in Lokoja.
He observed that the electoral umpire has caused the entire nation so much shame due of the certificate problem at Chicago State University.
This, he said is an “Issue to be worried about as it raises serious questions on the integrity, capacity and true independence of the Commission as currently constituted.”
He claimed that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, could have done better to hold a free, fair, and credible election given that he had received significant funding (to the tune of billions of Nigerian naira) from both the Nigerian government and international donors.