Yakubu moves to depoliticise INEC

By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA – Apparently peeved by the recent partisan debates regarding his appointment, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has expressed his resolve to depoliticize the commission”so that INEC will no longer be an issue in our elections”.

He said he has witnessed elections in other climes where the identity of the chief electoral officer was not a subject of partisan debate, saying the time has come for Nigeria to join the league of advanced democracies.

Yakubu spoke yesterday when he received in audience the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Paul Arkwright in Abuja.

According to the INEC boss, his first priority at the commission is to bring professionalism into election administration in the country and as well “instutionalize ICT-based solutions”.

He added that, “the success of the last general elections and the recent inconclusive governorship election in Kogi was made largely possible with the deployment of ICT”.‎

Yakubu also pledged ‎to improve engagement with major stakeholders for maximum participation, with emphasis on women, youths, the disadvantaged, internally-displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

While seeking more technical assistance from the UK government, Yakubu said he would ensure that the commission consolidates on its modest successes in the last general elections.

In his remarks, Arkwright expressed the readiness of his home government to‎ partner with INEC in order to deepen Nigeria’s democracy.

He said the British government looks forward to getting a comprehensive brief from INEC stating major areas of necessary assistance.

TMG tasks Buhari, APC, INEC on Kogi polls

President Muhammadu Buhari

Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Ibrahim Zikirullahi, has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari, All Progressives Congress (APC), Inspector General of Police and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to walk their talk on delivering free, fair and credible elections in Kogi State.

Speaking during a pre- election media interaction in Lokoja yesterday, Zikirullahi said all eyes are on Nigeria concerning Kogi election which is the first under the new government, as a litmus test that President Muhammadu Buhari must pass.

According to him, “the history of the Nigerian democracy has been replete with bastardized electoral process, when leaders talk about change it has to start with the electoral process. Any change without getting the electoral process right is not real.”

He said fact that Nigeria is still in the tradition stage of getting its electoral process right is the reason for serious emphasis of security.

The TMG chairman noted that in the developed democracies, election has become a normal process that would not need heavy security for voting to take place.

Kogi poll: NYSC deploys 4,000 corps members to INEC

Corpers

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Thursday said it would deploy 4, 000 corps members for election duties in Saturday’s governorship poll in Kogi.

Director-General of the corps, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawunmi, disclosed this at Kabba, Kogi, during a sensitisation and awareness programme for NYSC members in the state.

He said that the corps members would serve as presiding officers and assistant presiding officers during the election.

Olawunmi, who commended NYSC members for their performance in the last general elections, urged those that would participate in the Saturday exercise to be diligent and transparent.

He assured the corps members that adequate measures had been put in place for their safety during the exercise.

“No corps member will go out during this election and will not come back safe; we are working with all the security agencies to ensure your safety,’’ he said.

The director-general pointed out that involvement of corps members in the 2011 general elections enhanced the credibility of that exercise.

He expressed optimism that the corps members would improve on performances of their colleagues in previous exercises ‘’to boost the success of the governorship poll’’.

He, however, warned that NYSC would not condone a situation where politicians would molest corps members in the course of discharging their responsibility during and after the poll.

Kogi poll : INEC distributes sensitive materials

The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) has distributed sensitive materials that would be used in Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) who was at the INEC office in Lokoja on Thursday to witness the distribution noted that the materials were escorted out to various destinations amidst tight security.

It was also observed that the distribution of the materials was done in the presence of the representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress and other parties contesting the election.

Th state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Halilu Pai, who supervised the distribution, said that the materials included ballot papers and result sheets.

Pai said that the materials would be taken to the INEC offices in the 21 local government areas of the state from where they would later in the day be shared among the 239 wards.

According to him, the INEC is ready and committed to conduct a free, fair, credible and acceptable election.
He urged political parties, security agents and other stakeholders to play their roles according to the rules.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner also gave assurances that the fuel scarcity currently being experienced in the state would not in anyway impact negatively on the process and outcome of the election.

He said that the commission had made arrangements with some filling stations that would sell fuel to all vehicles on election duty , and that the stations had been prevailed upon to operate on 24-hour basis beginning from Friday.