2027: Strip executive power to appoint INEC chairman, Prof. Akhaine urges @NGE Jakande Lecture - ITREALMS

To safeguard Nigeria's fragile democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Federal Government has been urged to overhaul the electoral framework by stripping the Executive arm of its powers to appoint the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reports ITREALMS.

This call was made by Prof. Sylvester Odion Akhaine while delivering the keynote address at the 4th Annual Lateef Jakande Lecture, organized by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) on July 23, 2026, at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking on the theme, “Media, INEC, Voters and Path to Credible Elections,” Prof. Akhaine warned that Nigeria’s democratic experiment continues to suffer from a “state-capture” syndrome, where the executive branch routinely emasculates independent umpire institutions.

Revisiting the recommendations of the famous Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Reform Committee, Akhaine stressed that true institutional autonomy for INEC cannot be achieved while the President retains appointive authority over its commissioners and chairman.

"The popular struggle for INEC's autonomy has led to its empowerment in various ways, such as its trajectory to technologically driven election management, Electronic Voting Systems (EVS), and electronic transmission of results," Akhaine stated. "However, the appointive power should be removed from the executive and placed in a parliament of representatives of the people."

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He noted that while placing INEC's budget on a first-line charge from the consolidated revenue fund was a welcome structural shift, executive interference remains a major hurdle to delivering free, fair, and transparent elections.

Delving into the role of the media in the modern digital ecosystem, the political scientist highlighted the complex challenges posed by social media, automated bots, and information overload.

He cited scholar Francis Fukuyama, cautioning that the traditional liberal notion, that good information naturally rises above bad information in a free marketplace; no longer holds true in an era driven by digital trolls, algorithms, and half-truths.

"Today, the media faces new challenges occasioned by the advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT)," Akhaine observed. "Apart from information overload, there are additional problems of fake news, false information, and half-truths converging around the phenomenon of post-truth; a cultural order that hobbles objective facts and empirical evidence in the public sphere."

To counter this, he charged newsrooms and media practitioners to uphold their constitutional duties under Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution, remaining steadfast as truth-tellers and holding government accountable to the citizenry rather than succumbing to state pressure or viral falsehoods.

Prof. Akhaine also diagnosed the Nigerian electorate with suffering from a state of "low-intensity citizenship" and political apathy, driven by deep trust deficits and historical electoral heists.

He described voters as the ultimate "bosses" of any democratic architecture, emphasizing that without an empowered electorate, democracy ceases to function effectively.

He called for an urgent synergy between the media, civil society, and INEC to conduct aggressive, continuous voter education. This, he argued, is vital to counter widespread vote-buying, financial inducement, and voter cynicism before the 2027 polls open.

"If these critical stakeholders, the media, INEC, and voters; play their roles with fidelity to the public good, it is my conviction that the Nigerian democratic train can be steered onto the right course," Akhaine concluded.

ITREALMS News Desk