File photo of INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
By JOHN ONAH, Abuja-The chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday, met with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja to brainstorms on the lingering threats to INEC facilities across the country.
In his opening remarks at the emergency meeting, Mahmood said, that in the light of the current circumstances, it was necessary to meet with RECs, who lead the offices in the States, to take briefings from across the country on threats to INEC facilities and deliberate on how best to protect them.
He was of the believe that the commission can dig deep and draw from the Commission’s longstanding partnership with communities in this regard, in addition to depending on the invaluable support of our security agencies.
“Consequently, the challenges posed by these threats notwithstanding, we are still positive that we can find lasting solutions to the spate of attacks on our facilities”.
“However, this must be done quickly to forestall disruptions to several upcoming electoral activities, particularly the CVR exercise which we plan to undertake continuously in 2,673 centres nationwide for a period of over one year involving thousands of INEC officials supported by security personnel”, he added.
He disclosed that the Commission will certainly work with the security agencies to deal with the perpetrators of these heinous crimes according to the law.
“To this end, a meeting with all the security agencies is holding on Monday 24th May 2021”.
He appealed to communities where these assets are located, to see themselves as owners and custodians of these facilities and assist the Commission in protecting them.
“For this reason, I must put on record the fantastic partnership between the Commission and the communities we serve. These communities share with the Commission the commitment of improving electoral services to Nigerians”.
“They have over the years supported the Commission during all electoral activities from CVR to the conduct of polls. Some of them actually donated the land on which some of our Local Government offices are built. Even in the recent events of arson and vandalisation, many of them have demonstrated exceptional willingness to support the Commission”.
On the other hand, the Chairman disclosed that, the Commission conducted 28 out of 32 bye-elections across the country since the 2019 General Election, in addition to four end-of tenure Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi and Ondo States.
He noted that the bye-elections were held in 20 States involving six Senatorial Districts, seven Federal Constituencies, 18 State Constituencies and one Councillorship Constituency in Abaji Ward of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Indeed, it is now clear that the Commission must reconcile itself with the fact that elections have become an all-year round undertaking in Nigeria.
In addition to the bye-elections, he also stated that the Commission successfully concluded stakeholder engagements on the expansion of voter access to Polling Units among others.