Less than two years to the 2027 general elections, a youth-led coalition has called for a historic town hall meeting with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the appointment of the next chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The group, driven by Generation Z members, said appointing the INEC chairman, national commissioners and resident electoral commissioners must no longer follow the usual political path.
At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the national coordinator, Joseph Agama, said the movement emerged from widespread youth distrust in Nigeria’s electoral system.
“Many young people are disengaged because they don’t trust the process,” Agama said. “And they don’t trust the process because they don’t trust the people leading INEC.”
He argued that credibility begins with leadership that is independent of partisan influence.
According to him, the current framework — which allows the president to appoint the commission’s leadership — risks politicising the electoral body.
“If someone makes those appointments with political interests, the system becomes easy to manipulate,” he noted. “We want a process that involves traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and the Nigerian public.”
Agama said the Gen Z movement is mobilising young Nigerians nationwide to demand an INEC leadership that inspires confidence and guarantees free, fair, and credible elections.
Virtue Utuk, another group member, also spoke and urged President Tinubu to “lead differently” by embracing a new inclusive governance model.
“We demand a multi-stakeholder approach that includes civil society, traditional and religious leaders, and the people themselves.
“Our constitution gives the president the power of appointment, but democracy demands a spirit of inclusion,” she said.
Utuk reminded the President that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the current INEC chairman, will retire in November 2025. He stressed that the choice of his successor would shape public confidence ahead of the next polls.
“Mr President, we are the present and the future of Nigeria’s democracy. We want to trust the ballot. We want a system worthy of our faith.
“Credible elections are the lifeblood of democracy.
“History will judge the choices made today. Give us reason to trust, and this generation will transform apathy into action.”Utuk added.
