Former federal lawmaker and activist, Shehu Sani, has stated that no politician has ever made electoral reforms that led to their downfall, except for former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sani made this statement at the first Roundtable of Inter-Party Advisory Council in Abuja on Thursday, where he discussed the role of the judiciary in Nigeria’s democratic sustainability.
Sani emphasized that politicians lack integrity and are unwilling to implement electoral reforms that might harm their interests, according to Daily Post.
He praised Jonathan for his exceptional commitment to electoral reform, citing his appointment of an unknown INEC chairman and introduction of a data capturing machine, which ultimately led to his own defeat.
Sani’s statement highlights the challenges of achieving genuine electoral reform in Nigeria, where politicians often prioritize their own interests over the need for a fair and transparent electoral process.
“Well, I had the privilege of being in the civil society and I’ve been in politics. And if you mix these two experiences you’ll be able to know the two sides and also to be able to understand where the issues are,” he said.
“As activists, our thinking fundamentally differs from politicians. I’m still trying to find out if there’s any electoral reform Nigerian politicians cannot reconvent.
“We talk about the judiciary as the last hope of the common man, why are the political parties not the last hope of the common man, why is INEC not the last hope of the common man, why is the Presidency, the military, Senate and House of Reps not the last hope of the common man?
“We want a perfect judiciary in an imperfect system. In the field of activism, we’ve two sets of ideas – this is wrong and this is right – politicians don’t have that.
“We expert more from our judiciary. No president will make electoral reform that would lead to his downfall in office, only Jonathan.
“Only Jonathan appointed a Chairman of INEC he never knew and never met. Only Jonathan can introduce a data capturing machine and ended up being captured,” he said.
