The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Wednesday assured Nigerians that the era of inconclusive elections were over.
The INEC boss gave the assurance against the backdrop of criticism that have greeted the last two polls conducted under his watch while speaking at the 11th Public Lecture of The Electoral Institute (TEI) with the topic: “Between Refuge and Rights: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Inclusive Electoral Process in Nigeria”, held at the TEI auditorium, Abuja.
He said that the Commission was poised to address the glitches experienced in the operation and functionality of Smart Card Readers and work towards ensuring that future elections were concluded in the first ballot.
The INEC Chairman who pointed out that the Commission was satisfied with the processes, procedures as well as the conduct of the two governorship and two State Assembly elections conducted so far under his leadership, admitted that there had been reports of glitches in the operation and functionality of the Smart Card Readers with particular respect to the biometric authentication of voters.
He said : “Although the reported cases were not substantial to mar the elections, we are nevertheless determined that we address these challenges in future elections at whatever level it may occur, be it at the level of technology with the machine or staff training and the handling of equipment by electoral officials”.
Professor Yakubu reiterated that “the Smartcard Reader is still a technology in its pioneering stages in our election, but has already revolutionized elections. It has come to stay and whatever we need to do to make it work better, we will do,” he affirmed.
Commenting on the developments that resulted in the inconclusive elections experienced in the last few weeks, the INEC Chairman pointed out that they were not without precedent, citing examples of previous experiences in Anambra and Imo states where re-run elections were conducted.
He stressed that “our elections are getting better and because they are getting better, they are becoming more competitive. By the same token, citizens are becoming more confident that their votes really count”.
“INEC will continue to ensure that the credibility of our elections is sacrosanct. Acts of thuggery, ballot box stuffing and snatching, willful violation of guidelines for instance deliberate avoidance of the use of card readers will always attract sanctions. At the same time the threshold for the emergence of winners as contained in our guidelines will never be compromised. Where the threshold is not met, we shall apply the guidelines as they have been applied in the past,” he assured.
The INEC Chairman promised that the Commission will take a critical look at the two governorship elections with a view to learning the appropriate lessons that would help ensure that elections were concluded in the first ballot. He stressed that it would be done “without compromising the fairness, the freeness and credibility of the process”.
While assuring that the new Commission would continue to ensure inclusiveness in the electoral participation of all Nigerians irrespective of their circumstance, Professor Yakubu welcomed suggestions from the Electoral Institute and Nigerians at large on how the Commission could improve its processes.
“I believe the lecture will go a long way in enriching the decisions of the Commission including the review of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and our guidelines in a more participatory and consequently freer and fairer and credible manner”, he said.
The Guest Lecturer and former Chief Technical Adviser to the immediate past Chairman of INEC, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, in his presentation, called on the Commission to preserve the gains of the reforms of the last five years and improve on them, including IDP voting.
He argued: “In so doing, I am sure that the Commission will find that Nigerians fully support it. But I am as well sure that the Commission would also soon find that this support is hardly ever a blank cheque”.
Chairman of the occasion and former Chairman of National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, commended INEC for the choice of topic of the lecture and the Lecturer.
Prof. Odinkalu, said he was glad that “Professor Mahmood is the man that has taken over from Professor Jega”.
Present at the lecture were National Commissioners: Amina Bala Zakari, Amb. Lawrence Nwuruku, Dr. Mohammed M. Lecky and Professor Anthonia Okosi-Simbine, Directing staff of INEC, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Political Parties and other Critical Stakeholders.
-Frontiers News
