A political activist and former federal lawmaker, Usman Bugaje, has said that any election where the president appoints the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is a sham.

Bugaje made this statement on Monday, while responding to questions in an interview on Arise Television.

According to him, reforms must focus on insulating the electoral body from political manipulation.

Speaking on who appoints the electoral umpire, the former federal lawmaker warned that democracy could not stand if the president remained in control of the process.

“I don’t think the president, and I don’t mean this president, any president should have a hand in selecting the INEC chairman. That’s the point.

“I think any election that the president will participate in and he will be the one to bring in who will be the INEC chair, I think it’s a sham election,” he said.