Auwal Rafsanjani elected new chairman of TMG

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a civil society organisation (CSO), says it has elected Auwal Rafsanjani as the new chairman of its board.

In a statement on Friday, the group said Rafsanjani, alongside other members of the board, were elected at the group’s annual general meeting (AGM) that took place on Thursday at Zeus Hotel, Mabushi, Abuja.

“Mr Rafsanjani, who is also the head of Transparency International-Nigeria and the chairman, board of trustees, Amnesty International-Nigeria, will now steer the affairs of the flagship election observation coalition in the country for the next four years,” Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, former chairman of the group, said in the statement.

“He is known for his consistent engagement of the polity in the last two decades, pushing for sustainable reforms that will bring lasting solutions to Nigeria’s many crises.

“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 sensitising and observing every strand of 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. Mr 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 Mirian Menkiti, vice chair; Tijani Abdulkareem, treasurer; Ekaete Judith Umoh, representing persons with disabilities; Tayo Akinpelu, representing the youths, and Abdu-Azis Bako, north central coordinator.

Others are Sylvester Okoduwa, south-south coordinator; Joseph Gimba, north-east coordinator; Adesina Adefolahan, south-west; Gabriel Odom, south-east and Fatima Mohammed Umar, north-west

Delivering his acceptance speech, Rafsanjani thanked the outgoing board and promised to carry along members by running an all-inclusive organisation, rebuilding partnership with stakeholders especially with the donor communities, as well as other relevant agencies in the development sector.