- Nigeria’s cabinet has rejected recommendations from an electoral reform committee to give the judiciary the power to choose the chairman and board members of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying President Umaru Yar'Adua's should retain the powers.
The cabinet’s rejection has raised a number of questions from government critics saying the federal government wants to pull the strings in the presidential elections expected in 2010.
The 2007 elections that elevated President Yar'Adua to power were characterised by alleged widespread rigging, voter intimidation and ballot-box stuffing. The President has also admitted widespread electoral inadequacies, promising the electoral reforms.
A panel led by former Chief Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais had recommended the presidency be stripped of the powers to appoint the head of the country's election regulator.
"The government is mindful of the doctrine of separation of powers, which would be violated if the judiciary is asked to step in to perform executive functions," the cabinet said in a statement.
President Yar'Adua's victory marked the first time that Nigeria has ever seen a transfer of power between civilian rulers, but Yar'Adua's mandate was weakened by the widespread view among Nigerians that his victory was illegitimate. Many Nigerians failed to vote because of late-arriving ballot materials, while thugs threatened others voting at open stations where onlookers could view their selections.
Nigeria, which is Africa's biggest oil producer, gained independence from Britain in 1960, but only retuned to civilian rule in 1999 after years of coups, annulled elections and military dictatorships.
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