| Victor Ovie Whisky | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission | |
| In office 1980–1983 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Ani |
| Succeeded by | Eme Awa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 April 1924 Ikiwewu Agbarho, Delta State, Nigeria |
Justice Victor Ovie Whisky (born 6 April 1924) 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.[1]
Whiskey attended Yaba Higher College and University College, 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).[1] Ovie-Whisky declared that he was largely satisfied with the electoral process in 1983, but said: "We did not expect to be perfect".[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
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