Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still required improvement, notwithstanding the success recorded at the last general election, its Acting Chairman, Amina Bala Zakari, said yesterday.
INEC news bulletin quoted Zakari as making the assertion at a workshop organised by the commission in Abuja for accredited observer groups on lessons learned from the polls.
The commission’s boss, who was represented by a National Commissioner, Lawrence Nwuruku, said the INEC in a bid to improve on its 2015 performance, had “subjected the election to a thorough review through series of debriefing sessions with all the monitors deployed for the elections”.
The commission, Nwuruku added, also reviewed reports submitted by the state electoral officers as well as held a post-election retreat with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), directors and department heads and members.
She acknowledged that “observers’ reports on the 2011 general election were like guide book for the commission’s preparations for the 2015 general elections”.
Mrs. Zakari added that the “business of election observation is a critical one, which requires professionalism”.
The acting chair, who expressed delight at the existing cordial relationship with domestic and foreign observers, urged the participants at the workshop to brainstorm, share experiences on lessons learnt with special emphasis on pre- and post-election activities to improve the quality of the electoral process.
“We are working together as a team in complementary manner to produce a comprehensive report that will guide the commission in future elections. Let us all be a part of the solution. We must continue to succeed together,” she said.
