…Mike Igini said his work within INEC was driven by a desire to restore public confidence.
Abuja, Nigeria — The iNews Times reports that Mike Igini, a former Resident Electoral Commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission, has expressed deep regret over spending a decade in the electoral body, citing entrenched resistance to electoral reforms and the dangers faced by officials committed to credible elections.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner reflected on his years of service, noting that efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s electoral process were often met with intimidation, institutional resistance, and life-threatening risks.
Mike Igini said his work within INEC was driven by a desire to restore public confidence in elections and strengthen the ballot as the true expression of democratic will.
“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,” he stated.
The former Resident Electoral Commissioner, however, lamented that many reform efforts appeared to yield limited progress, leaving him with a sense of disappointment about the sacrifices made during his tenure.
Reflecting further, Mike Igini revealed that the pursuit of electoral integrity exposed him and other officials to significant personal danger.
“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,” he said.
He recounted a tragic incident involving a colleague deployed to Kano who was reportedly killed while attempting to uphold electoral transparency and fairness.
“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 wiped out,” he added.
Political analysts say Igini’s remarks highlight the persistent structural challenges confronting Nigeria’s electoral system, including political interference, security threats, and the difficulty of enforcing accountability within the electoral framework.
Observers also note that testimonies from former Resident Electoral Commissioners such as Mike Igini could reignite national conversations about electoral reforms, protection for election officials, and the need for stronger institutional safeguards to guarantee credible polls.
Despite his regrets, Igini emphasised the importance of sustained civic engagement and institutional reform, stressing that credible elections remain central to democratic stability and public trust in governance.
