Founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank and Anap Foundation, Atedo Peterside has criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under its former chairman Mahmood Yacob, describing it as a national disgrace.
Peterside made the comments while reacting to the appointment of Josh Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman by President Bola Tinubu during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Monday.
Amupitan officially replaced Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC chief ended earlier this month, on October 23 after being confirmed by the Senate. Yakubu had served as Nigeria's top electoral official since 2015 and had overseen two general elections during his nearly 10-year tenure.
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Asked what he expected from the new INEC leadership, Peterside said he expected improvements but was blunt in his criticism of the commission's past performance.
Peterside said, “I would never say it, but the Mahmud Yacob-led INEC was a national disgrace.”
He accused the commission of mishandling the election results and manipulating data uploaded to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV). According to him, evidence of irregularities will be easily found on the portal.
He further said, “If you have time, I will personally take you there and show you the result sheets that they have uploaded, distorted, sometimes the figures have been changed, and in some cases, they even forget to change the words.”
The respected banker and civic leader also hit out at the Nigerian judiciary, accusing it of failing to protect justice and transparency in electoral matters. He said courts often side with INEC or avoid addressing clear evidence of wrongdoing, which has further eroded public confidence.
Peterside supported the recent call by Senator Seriake Dickson to amend the Electoral Act so that the burden of proof in election petitions no longer falls on aggrieved candidates or parties but on INEC.
“This is where our judiciary has not met the required standards,” Peterside said. “I agree with Senator Dixon that the burden of proof should shift to INEC. You cannot allow a situation where INEC can do anything, distort results and come up with everything and then argue that it is up to the victim to prove that what they have done is wrong, when even a blind man can see it.”
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He warned that if Nigerians continue to lose confidence in both the electoral commission and the courts, many may eventually resort to self-help in future elections – a development that could jeopardize the country's democracy.
“Many Nigerians have already lost confidence in INEC and the judiciary,” he said. “If we don't fix this, people may stop believing that elections can make change and take matters into their own hands.”
