Mike Igini, former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has expressed regret over dedicating a decade of his career to the commission.
During an appearance on Arise News, Igini spoke candidly about the entrenched resistance to credible elections and the dangers faced by officials committed to reform. He referenced the tragic killing of a colleague in Kano who, according to him, paid the ultimate price for attempting to uphold electoral integrity and “do the right thing.”
“I spent over 30 years of my life, including 10 practical years in INEC, working to remove the history of our elections from the realm of frustration and pain, so we can give meaning and purpose to the ballot as the best means of expressing the will of the people in a democracy,” Igini said.
“To now find out that all that we did was in vain, that’s why I regret that I wasted my 10 years in service of the fatherland because I’d have been a dead man by now.
“However, I would have been a dead man pursuing this cause; my colleague in Kano was killed because we wanted to do the right thing for Nigeria. His entire family wiped out.”
He raised concerns about recently proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, cautioning that they could expose presiding officers to severe threats at polling units if approved by the president.
Igini decried the “level of hypocrisy” among those involved in Nigeria’s elections, describing his efforts as ultimately wasted in the face of systemic challenges.
As an advocate for electoral integrity, Igini emphasised the need to protect the democratic process and ensure the ballot truly reflects the people’s will.
