Will Olisa Agbakoba succeed Jega as next INEC chairman?

The Nation newspaper in a story wrote that “if news filtering in from both the presidency and other sources are to be taken serious, then the likes of former President of Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami and erstwhile President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, may be on the list of persons being considered as possible candidates to fill the position of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission to be vacated by Prof. Attahiru Jega on June 28, 2015.”
Read more of the story after the cut…….

For Salami, the agitation to have him as the next INEC boss is coming from both the political and civil societies, while Agbakoba’s support base is largely amongst election monitoring groups within the civil society. However, the two are being considered on the strength of their pro-democratic credentials.
Within the progressive political class, across party divides, many stakeholders are of the opinion that Salami, given his rich judicial resume and pro-democratic antecedents, will be able to build on the achievements of Jega as the next INEC boss. Citing his brush with the last administration believed to be on account of his refusal to be compromised; his admirers are recommending the retired Court of Appeal President as the best man for the job after Jega.
But his critics are saying given his age, Salami may not be suitable for the pressing tasks of an INEC boss. Those in this school of thought say Agbakoba is preferable, pointing out that, like Salami, he possesses pro-democratic credentials and is younger and thus more fit for the tasking assignment. “Agbakoba is also very conversant with the workings of the electoral commission, having been part of the election monitoring process for decades in the country. This is a serious advantage for him,” a source said.