The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said the commission lost over N200 million to the production of documents used in the conduct of this year’s general election, following the challenge of the outcome of the poll by one of the political parties.
Addressing media executives yesterday in Abuja, Yakubu said the N200 million was lost at the commission’s headquarters alone, adding that there might be similar requests at the state level.
The INEC boss said one of the political parties requested for the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the documents which were produced by the commission, only for the party to say it was no longer interested.
He said the party needed the documents to support its petition before a tribunal, adding: “We produced over 1.5 million copies, which cost us over N200 million. The funny thing is that when we told them the cost, they said they no longer needed them. We have to certify every document, and it is a huge work.”
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Admitting that INEC faced several challenges during the election, the chairman said the meeting would not discuss all of them because they were parts of the litigation at various election petition tribunals.
“While we are careful not to touch on issues that are clearly sub judice, it is appropriate to review the election broadly as enumerated on the agenda for this meeting contained in your folders.
“More specifically and from your practical experience of reporting or analysing the elections, we would like to hear your observations and suggestions on the processes and procedure (of the elections).
“It is, therefore, our expectation that you will share your field experiences candidly. We would like to hear from you what the commission can do to improve future elections in Nigeria,” he said.
Yakubu said the commission would soon issue a timetable for conduct of by-elections into four vacant seats in the National Assembly in Lagos, Taraba, Kaduna and Yobe states, which occurred due to appointments into the executive arm of government, and deaths.
The INEC chairman said the delay happened because the commission wanted to see if there would be more vacancies after the composition of the Federal Cabinet.
He added that INEC was working towards a successful conduct of off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states in November, but regretted the challenges posed in conducting elections in the three states.
Yakubu said the commission faced huge challenges in prosecuting election offenders.
The INEC boss solicited the support of the media in the passage of Election Offenses Commission Bill by the National Assembly.
He said the commission lacks the power to arrest or investigate electoral offenders, saying: “Sometime, some of our personnel may be involved, how can we prosecute ourselves?
“Unlike election petition cases that are time-bound, election offence cases have no time limit. Sometime, we are prosecuting an offence, and the investigative police officer may be transferred out of the state, and the law says election offenders can only be prosecuted at the Magistrates’ Court, High Court of state or the FCT High Court, but not at Federal High Court. The case may no longer continue.”
Also, Yalubu has said the commission was not unmindful of the flaws that affected some aspects of this year’s general election.
He said the conduct of the elections was still being challenged at various election petitions tribunals.
Addressing media executives yesterday as part of efforts to review the general election, the INEC chairman said it was only appropriate to review the elections broadly as doing so would help the commission to perform better in future polls.
He said the review was not intended to dwell on the details of such issues as they were being contested in the courts.
Yakubu said the consultation with the media was the sixth in the series of meetings by the commission in the last three weeks to review the elections, adding that INEC would continue to welcome suggestions for improvement in the conduct of future polls and the electoral processes.
He said there existed a long-standing partnership between the commission and the media as they remained critical stakeholders.
Speaking on behalf of the media, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) President Chris Isiguzo said this year’s general election was a defining moment in the nation’s history, where the collective voice of the people resonated through the ballot box.
He stressed that as the fourth estate of the realm, the media played a crucial role in upholding the pillars of democracy – transparency, accountability, and the right to information.