By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has elected Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani as the new Chairman of its Board.
Rafsanjani, alongside other members of the Board, was elected at the group’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held on Thursday, August 26, 2021, at Zeus Hotel, Mabushi, Abuja.
The AGM, before the election, kick-started with an Electoral Summit with the theme: "The Future of Nigeria Election; The Way Forward". The Summit looked at various issues that can improve or impede elections in Nigeria with a focus on electoral security, internal party democracy, electronic voting, and the impact of election litigation on the integrity of Nigeria's electoral process.
Rafsanjani, who is also the Head of Transparency International (TI) Nigeria, and the Chairman, Board of Trustee of the Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria, will steer the affairs of the flagship election observation coalition in the country, TMG, for the next four years.
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) is known for his consistent engagement of the polity in the last two decades, pushing for sustainable reforms that will bring lasting solutions to the many crises in Nigeria.
As the flagship of election observation in Nigeria, TMG played a pivotal role in ensuring civic participation by mobilizing citizens during Nigeria’s transition program conducted by the then Military regime of General Abdusalami Abubakar between 1998 and 1999. Since then, TMG has consistently engaged the electoral process in ensuring transparency, accountability, and credibility of the process by sensitizing and observing every election in Nigeria.
Other members elected by the group included 10 new Board members and the state coordinators who were pooled from different demographics to reflect the diversity of the country. Comrade Rafsanjani succeeded Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi who stepped down having served the required maximum of four years single-term in office.
Other members elected into the Board included:
- Ms. Mirian Menkiti (Vice-Chairman)
- Mr. Tijani Abdulkareem (Treasurer)
- Ms. Ekaete Judith Umoh (Representative of Persons with disabilities)
- Mr. Tayo Akinpelu (Representative of the Youths)
- Dr. Abdu-Azis Bako (North-Central Coordinator)
- Sylvester Okoduwa (South-South Coordinator)
- Dr. Joseph Gimba. (North-East Coordinator)
- Mr. Adesina Adefolahan. (South-West Coordinator)
- Pastor Gabriel Odom. (South-East Coordinator)
- Hajia Fatima Mohammed Umar. (North-West Coordinator)
While delivering his acceptance speech, however, Comrade Rafsanjani thanked the outgoing Board of TMG and promised to add to some of the achievements made by his predecessor.
Outlining his key agenda as the new Chairman of the Board, Rafsanjani promised to carry along TMG members by running an all-inclusive organization, rebuilding partnerships with stakeholders especially, with the donor community, as well as other relevant agencies in the development sector.
He noted that the new leadership under his watch will make all necessary efforts to bring together all members in order to work as a team towards moving the organization forward and mobilize citizens to demand accountability in order to choose the right leaders as we match toward 2023 General Election.
The new Board pledged to uphold an already established goodwill and sustained relationship which the TMG presently enjoys with the media. Rafsanjani however thanked the members of the coalition for their steadfastness.
He noted that in the spirit of accountability, the new Board will resuscitate the TMG's Newsletter, ‘Democracy Watch’ so as to maintain constant communication with the members on the activities of the group. Rasfanjani praised the effort of the outgoing leadership for the good work they did to keep the organization relevant. NNL.
