“We should disassociate INEC from the presidency to liberate it from political influences,” suggests Ebun Adegboruwa.

Ebun Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Public Affairs Commentator, has urged the electoral body to uphold its independence from the presidency. Adegboruwa expressed this view during an exclusive interview with The Punch Newspaper, following the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s decision in Abuja.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, secured victory in the country’s highest political office, triumphing over formidable rivals including Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

While both presidential candidates, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, contested Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s win at the Presidential Election Tribunal in Abuja, the court dismissed their cases on Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview, Adegboruwa offered counsel not only to the petitioners but also to lawyers and democracy advocates, emphasizing the need to focus on INEC. He argued for a restructuring of INEC, citing its current burden of multiple responsibilities. Furthermore, he underscored the significance of ensuring INEC’s independence, proposing that the president should not have the authority to appoint the electoral body’s chairman when personally invested in an election. Adegboruwa advocated for the separation of INEC from the presidency to safeguard its autonomy from political pressures.