Victor Ovie Whisky
| Victor Ovie Whisky | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission | |
|
In office 1980–1983 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Ani |
| Succeeded by | Eme Awa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 April 1923 Ikiwewu Agbarho, Delta State, Nigeria |
| Died | 18 July 2012 (aged 89) |
Justice Victor Ovie Whisky (6 April 1923 – 18 July 2012[1]) was chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) appointed by President Shehu Shagari during the Nigerian Second Republic. He held office from 1980 to 1983.[2]
Biography
Whiskey attended King's College Lagos, Yaba Higher College and University College, Ibadan (now University of Ibadan). He worked as a clerk, and for a short period as a teacher, before being admitted to study law at the University of London. He was called to the bar in 1952. He practiced as a lawyer until 1960 when he became a magistrate in Western Region. In 1963 he was appointed chief magistrate of the newly formed Mid-Western Region, renamed Bendel State in 1976.
At the time of Ovie-Whisky's 1980 appointment as head of FEDECO he was the Chief Judge of Bendel State, and was seen as upright and non-partisan. However, the general elections of 1983 were marred by widespread irregularities and the electoral officials were accused of rigging the results in favor of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).[2] Ovie-Whisky declared that he was largely satisfied with the electoral process in 1983, but said: "We did not expect to be perfect".[3] He denied wrongdoing, and when questioned by reporters on whether "water passed under the bridge" in the elections, he said that he would faint if he saw N1 million cash.[4]
In April 2009 the Ijaw Monitoring Group said Ovie-Whisky was in poor health and his condition required urgent attention from the Delta State Government.[5]
References
- ↑ Ahon, Festus (18 July 2012). "Chairman of Defunct Fedeco, Ovie Whiskey Is Dead.". Vangaury. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- 1 2 Imam Imam (9 June 2010). "Past INEC Chairmen". ThisDay. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ David Pallister (24 April 2007). "Change for the worse". Guardian (UK). Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ Emma Amaize (23 April 2004). "Justice Ovie Whiskey Reflects On the N1 Million Bribe Scandal.". Vanguard. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ Azu Akanwa (3 April 2009). "Ijaw Group Tasks Uduaghan On Ovie-Whiskey's Health". Vanguard. Retrieved 10 June 2010.