Bukhari Bello is new INEC boss
Headlines Jun 2, 2010
Bukhari Bello
By Jide Ajani
LAGOS—BARRING any last minute change of mind by President Goodluck Jonathan, there are very strong indications that Bukhari Bello would replace out-going National Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Maurice Iwu and this is authoritative.
In addition, the National Council of State, NCS, a body made up of past heads of state and Chief Justice of the Federation, with all the state governors will meet Thursday to consider the nomination as required by the constitution.

Vanguard can also disclose that Bello’s nomination might have been the indirect result of consultations with a key segment of the Nigerian society: the human rights community.Enquiries by Vanguard, yesterday, revealed that Bello, who might “have been screened and passed fit to be the chairman of INEC, is very capable” of taking charge at INEC.

Contrary to speculations in the media, Vanguard can authoritatively reveal that Nigerians would be shocked at the expected announcement of Bello as the new helmsman at INEC.

Vanguard’s cue on the possible person to replace Professor Iwu was provided by President Jonathan in far away Nice, France. A source said that Mr. President had immuned himself from “the plethora of persons who had been presented as possible replacement.”

Bello, who had been at the helm of affairs at the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, is said “to be a very energetic and zealous individual.”

Vanguard can confirm that President Jonathan had never met Bello before in his life. In fact, the delay in the announcement, apart from the needed endorsement of the NCS, was caused by Jonathan’s lack of any personal of filial relationship with the nominee. Vanguard can also confirm that Bello’s nomination was the handiwork of a bloc, the human rights community.

Jonathan’s cue

President Jonathan had, Sunday, in France revealed that the final screening for a new INEC Chairman was concluded Saturday night, and would be made known to Nigerians after the National Council of State, NCS, had ratified the nomination.

Jonathan also said that though he had neither seen nor met the new appointee all his life, but from the report of the screening, the new man could possess the needed energy and zeal to conduct credible elections that could stand the test of time.

President Jonathan had also made it clear that none of those being speculated by the Nigerian media came close to the identity of the man that would eventually emerge, noting that throughout his career as civil servant and politician he never met with the lucky Nigerian.

Jonathan, who arrived the Nice International Airport at 3.00 p.m. (local time) narrated how the names of possible nominees (State commissioners) proposed and submitted to him by some governors for consideration were jettisoned simply because of his desire to give the best to Nigerians.

He also noted that after the stabilization of the nation’s polity, one of his priorities was how to conduct credible elections for Nigerians, adding that he hoped to achieve this by giving it all it takes for the nation to get it right for the first time, in terms of elections where every vote counts, appeared excited at the choice he had made for Nigerians.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/06/02/bukhari-bello-is-new-inec-boss/

who is this dude,bukhari bello, well if the civil society people put his name forward, it's all good

http://www.fidh.org/Dismissal-of-the-Executive-Director-of-the

Joint press release : the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) -/ The Observatory (FIDH - OMCT)Human Rights Defenders
23 June 2006
Dismissal Of The Executive Director of The National Human Rights Commission

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The International Service for Human Rights and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to revoke the decision to dismiss Mr. Bukhari Bello as Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC).
As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Nigeria has the responsibility to uphold the commitments it made upon assuming its seat on the Council. It was on the basis on these commitments that Nigeria was selected to serve on this body in May 2006. Among its commitments, Nigeria pledged “its determination and commitment to continue to promote and protect human rights at home by strengthening and actively supporting the work of the National Human Rights Commission”.

On 19 June 2006, Mr. Bello received a letter from the Federal Ministry of Justice purportedly removing him from the office of Executive Secretary of the Commission. According to the information received, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria instructed the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to remove Mr. Bello from his office due to discontent on the part of the Government on the positions taken by Mr. Bello.

In particular, the Government appears to have been displeased with comments made by Mr. Bello regarding proposed amendments to the Constitution of Nigeria prolonging the term of office of the Presidency of the Federation as well as his condemnation of the attacks by law enforcement personnel on members of the media, including the arrest and detention of a television journalist.

The purported removal of Mr. Bello from his position constitutes an interference with the independence of the National Human Rights Commission and violates the United Nations principles regulating the status and functioning of National Human Rights Institutions, which are spelled out in the Paris Principles.

The National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria was established by the Act of 1995 as an independent institution mandated to promote and protect human rights, including by monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in the country and submitting recommendations on human rights policies and legislation to the government, the parliament and any other relevant bodies.

The decision to remove Mr. Bello also constitutes an attempt to silence the Commission and to prevent it from carrying out its human rights mandate, an act which falls short of international standards established in the United Nations Declaration on human rights defenders. According to Article 6(b) of the Declaration, “Everyone has the right , to impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms.” The Declaration further provides for the right to hold opinions on the observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to draw public attention to those matters.

The International Service for Human Rights and the Observatory call on the government of Nigeria to respect the independence of the National Human Rights Commission and to revoke the decision to remove Mr. Bukhari Bello from his position as Executive Secretary of the Commission.

For more information, please contact:
ISHR: +41 22 733 51 23
OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39
FIDH: + 33 1 43 55 20 11

If he was once dismissed from the National Human Rights Commission for speaking out against third term project of OBJ and also against maltreating members of the press, then he is likely to be his own man and not dance to the tune of government.

This will be another shocker for OBJ