I Risked My Life for Electoral Reforms, Regret 10 Years at INEC — Igini

A former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mike Igini, has expressed regret over the 10 years he spent serving in the nation’s electoral body, saying his efforts to enthrone credible elections appear to have been in vain.

Igini, who spoke during an interview on Arise News, lamented what he described as entrenched resistance to electoral reforms and credible democratic processes in the country.

He disclosed that reformers within the system often face grave dangers, recalling the killing of a colleague in Kano who, according to him, was murdered alongside his family for attempting to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.

“I spent over 30 years of my life, including 10 practical years in INEC, working to remove the history of our elections from the realm of frustration and pain, so we can give meaning and purpose to the ballot as the best means of expressing the will of the people in a democracy,” Igini said.

Reflecting on his experience, the former REC added that discovering that those efforts yielded little impact has left him deeply disillusioned.

“To now find out that all that we did was in vain, that’s why I regret that I wasted my 10 years in service of the fatherland because I’d have been a dead man by now.

“I would have been a dead man pursuing this cause; my colleague in Kano was killed because we wanted to do the right thing for Nigeria. His entire family was wiped out,” he stated.

Igini’s remarks come amid renewed debates over the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system and calls for comprehensive reforms to strengthen public confidence in democratic institutions.