As Nigeria inches toward another crucial leadership transition at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), one conversation that must not be ignored is the urgent need to appoint a woman as the next Chairman of the Commission. For more than six decades of electoral administration, from the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), and now INEC, no woman has ever been given the opportunity to lead the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s democracy. That reality is both telling and troubling.

The absence of a woman at the helm of INEC is not just a statistical oversight; it is a glaring reflection of how Nigeria continues to marginalize half of its population in decision-making spaces. In a country where women constitute nearly 50 percent of the population and play significant roles as voters, civil servants, observers, and even electoral officers, it defies logic that none has ever been considered worthy to lead the electoral umpire.

This conversation is not about tokenism or gender sympathy, it is about equity, competence, and the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process. Nigerian women have consistently proven their leadership mettle across sectors, often under more difficult conditions than their male counterparts. From Dora Akunyili’s fearless reforms at NAFDAC to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s trailblazing economic stewardship and global leadership at the World Trade Organization, to Amina Mohammed’s international diplomacy as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nigerian women have demonstrated excellence, integrity, and transformational leadership on the global stage.

If these women can shape global policy and manage institutions with billions in budgets, why should leading INEC, a constitutionally independent body, be considered beyond the capability of women? The issue here is not a lack of qualified female candidates but a lack of political will to appoint them.

Nigeria cannot forget the high level of patriotism displayed by Professor Nnenna Oti, who served as the INEC Returning Officer in Abia State during the 2023 governorship election. As popularly known, she stands as a shining example of integrity, courage, and professionalism in Nigeria’s electoral process. Despite intense pressure, threats, and lucrative offers to compromise the will of the people, she upheld the sanctity of the ballot and ensured that the true outcome prevailed. Her uncommon display of character in the face of political intimidation underscores the transformative impact that women of principle can bring to public service. It is precisely this kind of ethical fortitude and moral clarity that Nigeria needs at the helm of its electoral body, making a strong case for a female successor to Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the next INEC Chairman, someone who can restore public confidence and strengthen the nation’s democracy through fearless and transparent leadership.

Without a doubt, INEC occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s democracy. Its Chairman is not just an administrator but the moral compass of the electoral process. The credibility of elections, the trust of citizens, and the integrity of governance all depend on how the Commission is led. At a time when confidence in Nigeria’s elections is waning, amid persistent concerns over vote-buying, logistical failures, voter suppression, and the manipulation of technology, the Commission needs leadership that can restore trust and project transparency. A woman at the helm could bring that needed change in tone and culture.

Research and experience have shown that women in leadership often bring distinctive strengths, greater attention to detail, inclusiveness, and empathy. They tend to foster collaboration, listen more, and act with moral conviction. These are not sentimental traits; they are leadership assets that Nigeria’s electoral system badly needs. When women lead, they often prioritize the collective over the personal and emphasize fairness and accountability, values that are essential for an institution like INEC.

Across Africa, women have led key national institutions and demonstrated that competence has no gender. In Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, women have occupied sensitive electoral, judicial, and administrative positions with distinction. Nigeria cannot continue to trail behind on such an important front. The rest of the continent is proving that breaking barriers for women strengthens democracy rather than weakens it.

Critics who insist that gender should not be a factor in the appointment of the next INEC Chairman miss the essence of this argument. The call is not to pick any woman but to select a qualified one from the many eminently capable Nigerian women with the right blend of administrative, legal, and ethical grounding. Names abound in academia, the judiciary, the civil service, and civil society, women who have built careers on integrity and institutional reform. The argument is simple: Nigeria’s democracy will be stronger when its leadership reflects the diversity of its people.

Beyond symbolism, appointing a woman as INEC Chairman would send a powerful message about Nigeria’s seriousness toward gender inclusion and democratic fairness. It would also align with global and regional commitments Nigeria has signed onto, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, both of which advocate gender equality in leadership. More importantly, it would inspire millions of Nigerian girls and women to believe that public service is not a male preserve.

Nigeria’s history is filled with examples of women who rose above systemic barriers to lead with courage. The likes of the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, who risked her life to contain the Ebola outbreak; the late Dora Akunyili, who confronted corruption in the pharmaceutical sector; and Justice Aloma Mukhtar, Nigeria’s first female Chief Justice, all stand as living testaments that women do not need to be given power, they only need not to be denied it.

The argument for a female INEC Chairman also ties directly into Nigeria’s larger struggle for inclusive governance. The statistics remain alarming: women occupy less than 7 percent of elective positions across the country and less than 10 percent of appointed federal positions. These figures reflect a chronic imbalance that must be corrected through deliberate action. Inclusion is not achieved by accident, it is achieved by intent.

Appointing a woman as INEC Chairman would be a bold and historic step toward correcting this imbalance. It would set a precedent for other public institutions and political structures to follow, sending a clear message that gender should no longer be a barrier to leadership. It would also reinforce the credibility of INEC itself, by projecting an image of fairness and balance in the very institution tasked with ensuring fair play in elections.

Furthermore, such an appointment would hold both symbolic and practical importance for Nigeria’s democracy. Symbolically, it would mark a break from the past, a decisive move away from the patriarchal tradition that has dominated the country’s political and institutional leadership. Practically, it could introduce a leadership style that emphasizes transparency, inclusion, and responsiveness to citizens’ needs, qualities that Nigeria’s electoral system desperately requires.

As the tenure of the current INEC leadership winds down, the Federal Government has an opportunity to make history, to not just fill a vacancy, but to correct a legacy of exclusion. The President, in exercising his constitutional prerogative, should rise above political considerations and make a decision that strengthens Nigeria’s democracy and aligns with the spirit of fairness enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

It is time to move beyond rhetoric and token gestures. Nigeria cannot continue to preach equality while practicing exclusion. Our democracy cannot mature when half of its citizens are systematically kept away from leadership. The glass ceiling at INEC has stood unchallenged for too long, it is time to break it.

Appointing a woman as the next INEC Chairman would not only redefine leadership in Nigeria’s public institutions but also stand as a national statement that competence, not gender, is what truly matters. It would inspire a new generation of women to engage more confidently in the political process and restore faith in the promise of Nigeria’s democracy.

The world is watching. Nigeria has the chance to make history, not by words, but by action. The Federal Government must seize this moment and appoint a competent woman as the next INEC Chairman. In doing so, it will not only be breaking the glass ceiling but setting a foundation for a stronger, fairer, and more inclusive democracy.

The resignation of Geoffrey Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, has peeled back yet another layer of rot in Nigeria’s political establishment. His decision to quit President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet amid allegations of certificate forgery should not be dismissed as a personal misfortune. It should serve as a clarion call to others in government who have skeletons of fake certificates hidden in their cupboards. They, too, must resign, because deception has no place in public service.

For too long, Nigeria’s democracy has been corrupted by fraudsters in fine clothing, men and women who parade themselves as leaders, whereas they are not, and not even more qualified academically than some, for their personal guards and special assistants assigned to their high offices. 

For too long, Nigeria’s democracy has been corrupted by fraudsters in fine clothing, men and women who parade themselves as leaders while their academic records are built on lies. Certificate forgery has become an unspoken epidemic, an assault on truth and a betrayal of the very foundation of democratic governance. How can a society progress when its leaders ascend to power through deceit? When those entrusted with shaping policy cannot even defend the authenticity of their own education?

What makes this plague particularly tragic is its normalization. Forgery scandals no longer shock Nigerians; they now evoke resignation. Each time a politician is exposed; the system simply absorbs the embarrassment and moves on. That culture of impunity must end. Nnaji’s resignation, whether by choice or compulsion, should be the beginning of a cleansing process across all tiers of government.

Public office is a trust, not a trophy for impostors. Democracy demands honesty, not because it is convenient, but because it is sacred. When politicians forge certificates, they commit moral perjury. They cheat the nation, mock the educational system, and ridicule every young Nigerian who burns midnight oil to earn a legitimate qualification. This is not just dishonesty; it is anti-democratic sabotage.

Nnaji’s resignation should therefore be treated as a moral turning point. Those who know that their credentials cannot stand public scrutiny must step aside before the truth drags them into disgrace. Integrity is not negotiable. If they have any respect left for the institutions they represent, they should do what Nnaji has done; bow out.

At the same time, Nigeria’s vetting and oversight mechanisms must stop treating certificate verification as an afterthought. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Federal Civil Service Commission, and other agencies must make background checks a rigorous, transparent, and continuous process. Universities must also stop shielding powerful figures from exposure, the truth must be allowed to breathe, no matter whose ox is gored.

Equally important is the need for a cultural shift. Our society’s obsession with titles and degrees has become toxic. Too many Nigerians worship credentials instead of competence, and that obsession has created fertile ground for forgery. We must begin to value character above certificates, and integrity above image. Leadership is not about how many degrees one claims to have, but about the truth behind those claims.

President Tinubu must seize this moment to send a strong message. A government that tolerates deceit at the top cannot inspire confidence among the governed. If he truly intends to restore integrity to public life, he should order a full audit of ministers, appointees, and senior officials. Those found wanting should not only resign but face legal consequences.

The cupboard of deceit in Nigeria’s political class is overflowing, and the stench is unbearable. The time for half measures is over. Nnaji’s resignation has set the example,  the rest must now follow. Those with skeletons of fake certificates in their cupboards should step down before the truth does it for them. Nigeria deserves leaders whose qualifications are real, whose records are clean, and whose consciences are intact.

Until then, the nation will continue to live under the shadow of hypocrisy, where those who lied their way into office pretend to lecture citizens on integrity. The time to end that charade is now.

The Nigerian people have endured enough hypocrisy from their leaders. For decades, citizens have been deceived, short-changed, and mocked by those who swore oaths of office on the altar of integrity but turned around to build their careers on falsehoods. Every election season, the same political class that preaches accountability ends up riddled with scandals,  from forged certificates to falsified age declarations and dubious academic claims. These are not harmless infractions; they are deliberate acts of deception that insult the collective intelligence of the electorate. Nigerians have watched, in painful silence, as liars occupy public offices while honest, hardworking citizens are told to “wait for their turn.” The result is a dangerous erosion of public trust, a situation where many no longer believe that sincerity or merit can get one to power.

If democracy is to mean anything in this country, it must begin with truth. Democracy is not sustained by slogans or party flags; it is sustained by the moral contract between leaders and the led. That contract collapses when those in power lie about who they are or how they got there. When a man forges a certificate to qualify for public office, he is not just cheating a system, he is defrauding a nation. He is desecrating the very principles of fairness and justice that democracy is built upon. Truth is not optional in governance; it is the oxygen that keeps democracy alive. Without it, everything else, elections, policies, constitutions, becomes a charade.

Integrity, not forgery, should define public office. The question every Nigerian must now ask is simple: what does it say about us as a nation when fraudsters can rule over us with impunity? A leader who falsifies credentials cannot be trusted to tell the truth in matters of state. Such a person is unfit to make laws, execute policies, or represent a people who expect honesty. Leadership is not a hiding place for liars; it is a sacred duty that demands transparency. When integrity dies in leadership, governance becomes a performance, and the people become spectators in their own democracy.

The cupboard of deceit is full, and the stench can no longer be hidden. Each new scandal adds to the rot, exposing the moral decay at the heart of Nigeria’s politics. But the cleansing must begin now, not tomorrow, not after the next election, not after another court ruling. It must begin with courageous leadership and a citizenry that refuses to be complicit in deceit. Those who forged their way into power must be made to leave the same way they came, through exposure and disgrace. The Nigerian people deserve a government that smells of truth, not one reeking of forgery. It is time to clean out the cupboard and reclaim the integrity of public life once and for all.

Showing that cloddishness that we have come to expect from them, Israel’s detention of the activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) was a coarse and violent affair.  Having been intercepted in international waters on route to Gaza to break the Israeli-imposed blockade, the 470 or so activists, hailing from some fifty countries travelling on 40 boats, were duly taken to the Ketziot prison complex in the Negev desert in southern Israel.  According to GSF, the endeavour was intended to “break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”

US activist David Adler, who was released and deported to Jordan on October 7, issued an audio message shared with Al Jazeera through the advocacy group Progressive International describing the events: “We were kidnapped, stripped, zip-tied, blindfolded and sent to an internment camp on a police van without any access to food, to water, to legal support.”  His Jewishness, along with that of a fellow activist, had been noted by the captors.  “After interception, we were violently forced onto our knees into positions of submission, where the two Jews of the flotilla were taken by the ear and ripped from the group for a photo-op with [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir, staring at the flag of the State of Israel, taunted by his goons.”

Over the course of five days, Adler endured “serial and systematic violations” of basic human rights.  At night, riot police accompanied by attack dogs would raid the prison to strike fear into the interned activists.  

Adler’s accounts received solid corroboration from other members of the flotilla.  Spanish lawyer Rafael Borrego, after arriving in Madrid, spoke of “repeated physical and mental abuse”.  The authorities “beat us, dragged us along the ground, blindfolded us, tied our hands and feet, put us in cases and insulted us.”  A statement to Reuters from nine Swiss nationals referred to “inhumane detention conditions and the humiliating and degrading treatment”.

Australians on the GSF referred to instances of kicking and slapping of detainees by prison guards, the use of sleep deprivation techniques, the confiscation of medication and instances of humiliation by being caged and bellowed at by “an Israeli government minister” (Ben-Gvir could hardly resist the opportunity).  Surya McEwen recalls being “slapped, having his arm dislocated and having his head slammed into the ground.”

Much attention was also focused on the celebrity activist, Greta Thunberg, who was on her second outing.  “I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me, but that is not the story.”  A report from The Guardian noted her dehydration, the provision of “insufficient amounts of both food and water”, the outbreak of rashes caused by bed bugs.  She had also been forced to hold and kiss the Israeli flag as images of her were taken.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in a statement to Swedish news agency TT that she had “taken note of the reports of allegations of abusive treatment.  If the reports are true, this is very serious.”

The reaction from other countries has not been quite so explicit.  Australian activists on the GSF were less than impressed by the efforts of their diplomats, given the relative lateness of their release and complaints of mistreatment.  US activists also received a cold response from their consular officials.  Adler recalls being told by the US general consul that, “We are not your babysitters.  You’d have no food, no water, no money, no phones, no planes.”  US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who gleefully accepts the distorted offerings of information from the Israeli foreign affairs ministry, had a personal observation on Adler’s conduct, calling him a “self-absorbed tool of Hamas”.

Israel, for its part, aggressively sought to denude and denigrate the merits of the flotilla, both in terms of its mission and the integrity of its participants.  Customary libels were offered: Thunberg and her fellow activists were useful idiots, and various organisers behind the effort to break the blockade were terrorist sympathisers with links to Hamas.  No mention needed of the humanitarian crisis taking place in the hellish enclave of Gaza as, apparently, there is nothing to mention.  

As for allegations of mistreatment, the Israeli foreign ministry was brusque and dismissive: “The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign.”  Ben-Gvir, however, spoke on October 5 of how “proud” he was of the harsh conditions that the detainees were being kept in.  “These are the terrorists of the flotilla,” he declared.  “Supporters of murderers.”  On his visit to Ketziot prison, he reasoned that the flotilla members, being “terror supporters”, deserved “the conditions of terrorists”.

Israeli authorities also claimed that the flotilla carried little humanitarian aid to speak of.  In a sharp statement, the GSF called such accusations by Ben-Gvir and other officials “verifiably false” and “obscene.  The boats were meticulously documented, loaded with medical supplies, food, and other life-saving goods for people in Gaza being systematically starved by Israel.”  

On arriving in Athens after being deported, Thunberg praised the “global, international solidarity” of the GSF where hypocritical, mealymouthed governments had failed. “This is a last resort.  That this mission has to exist is a shame.”  At this writing, negotiations on the US proposed peace plan continues, as does slaughter and starvation in the Strip.  As, it would seem, the estranged reality that permits mendacity to flourish.  

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com 

‎On October 7, 2025, Professor Mahmood Yakubu resigned as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), handing over leadership to Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu. This transition occurs just a month before the Anambra governorship election and two years ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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‎Agbamuche-Mbu, the longest-serving National Commissioner at INEC, steps into this role amid growing concerns over electoral credibility. Her appointment is seen as a stabilizing move, but the real question remains: can she restore public trust in a system marred by allegations of manipulation and inefficiency?
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‎Born in Kano to parents from Delta State, Agbamuche-Mbu has over 30 years of legal experience, including qualifications in both Nigeria and the UK. She has served on various federal committees and led a prominent law firm in Lagos. Her tenure at INEC has been marked by a focus on legal oversight and dispute resolution.
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‎However, her appointment comes at a time when INEC faces significant challenges. The commission has been criticized for logistical failures, voter disenfranchisement, and allegations of political interference. The upcoming elections, including the Anambra governorship poll and the 2027 general elections, will test her ability to navigate these turbulent waters.
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‎Agbamuche-Mbu’s legal background and experience in alternative dispute resolution position her well to address these issues. Her approach will need to be both firm and transparent to rebuild public confidence.
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‎As she assumes leadership, the nation watches closely. The question is not just about her qualifications but about her capacity to lead INEC through a period of scrutiny and reform.
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‎In the coming months, Agbamuche-Mbu’s actions will speak louder than words. The integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process may well depend on her ability to steer INEC back to credibility.
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‎The clock is ticking. The nation waits.