Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili has openly expressed strong doubts about assurances made by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, regarding the conduct of credible elections in Nigeria.
In a post shared on her 𝕏 account, Ezekwesili recalled confronting the INEC Chairman during a town hall meeting in Abuja, where she directly told him that citizens no longer trust promises from the electoral body’s leadership.
“In March, I told Amupitan to his face at the Town Hall meeting in Abuja that we don’t believe anything he promises about conducting credible elections,” she wrote.
The former minister went further to question the broader state of governance in Nigeria, criticizing the political class across the executive and legislative arms of government.
She argued that there is a lack of commitment to public service and questioned whether meaningful progress can emerge from what she described as weak leadership structures.
“Zero fidelity to public purpose and yet citizens think anything good will ever come from the lowest and lowliest grade of political actors that sit at the National Assembly, Senate and House, and the government?” she stated.
Ezekwesili also raised concerns about the recruitment of individuals to key institutions like INEC, questioning the quality and integrity of those appointed to oversee elections.
“If all were well with Nigeria, would it be ‘professors’ who are willing tools to subvert the public good that will be hired to run INEC?” she asked.
She emphasised that meaningful change can only happen when citizens actively demand accountability and take responsibility for the country’s direction of governance.
According to her, sustained public inaction only enables poor leadership and systemic failures to continue.
“When Nigerians are finally ready, we will collectively stand against the daily rubbish that these predators commit against our country and people,” she added.
Her remarks have since sparked online conversations, reigniting debates about electoral credibility, institutional trust, and citizen responsibility in Nigeria’s democratic process.
