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Tag: Mahmood Yakubu

  • Zamfara: Nothing has changed, says INEC boss

    ..says no extension for submission of candidates list

    The possibility of the All Progressive Congress (APC) fielding candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections in Zamfara state may have been sealed.

    The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Monday said nothing has changed on the issue.

    INEC had barred the Zamfara State chapter of the APC from fielding candidates to contest in the 2019 general elections after failing to conduct primary elections.

    The commission had set October 7, 2018 deadline for parties to conclude their primary elections to elect candidates, but divisions within the state chapter of the APC prevented an INEC-supervised election from taking place for the governorship and legislative positions.

    Consequently, in a letter signed by INEC’s acting secretary, Okechukwu Ndeche, and addressed to APC’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, the party can no longer conduct any primary elections outside of the originally-stated window and will not be allowed to participate in the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections in Zamfara next year.

    But the party would not want to hear any of this, vowing to participate in the election.

    INEC boss however stuck to his gun, saying that the commission stands by its earlier statement on the issue.

    Yakubu spoke Monday in Abuja at the end of the opening of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Network of Electoral Commission (ECONEC) meeting in Abuja.

    The INEC boss who was responding to questions from newsmen said the commission stands by its earlier statement.

    He said, “We have issued a statement on Zamfara and nothing has changed. We stand by the statement that we issued.”

    He also revealed that the October 18th date for the submission of list of candidates by all the political parties. There are 91 but only 89 notify the commission of their intension to conduct primaries.

    On the submission date for list of candidates for the general elections, Yakubu said, ” I am sure we have made some progress, but the deadline as we say is on October 18.”

    He ruled out any possibility of extension as he declared, “we will give a full report after the 18th October. No extension.”

    On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Yakubu said that INEC has printing the PVCs of all those who registered in the second and third quarters of 2018.

    He also revealed that the PVCs for those who registered in the first quarter of 2018 have been printed.

    He said: ” We have printed the PVCs for those who registered in the first quarters of 2018. We are right now simultaneously printing for those who registered in the second and third quarters.

    ” We are looking at the end of November 2018 for all the PVCs to be printed including request for transfer and relocation.”

    He also reiterated the commission’s assurance to ensure that all the outstanding PVCs are ready for collection before the 2019 general elections.

    In his earlier remark at the opening of the ECONEC meeting, Yakubu said that two day meeting which kicked off yesterday is expected to validate the study carried out on the issue of cost of conducting elections.

    Read Also: Zamfara: APC kicks as INEC bars candidates

    The body has been disturbed by the ever rising cost of conducting elections and handling of pre and post election litigation. It was this concern that gave rise to the setting up of a study group among member countries.

    He added that the study is part of ECONEC’s two-year Work Plan (2016-2018). 

    The objective he said is for Election Management Bodies (EMBs) within the region to share experience, expertise and even pool resources not only with a view to ensuring best practice through peer review but also in order to reduce the cost of conducting elections among our member States.

    “It is borne out of the serious concern by all Electoral Commissions in the sub-region about the spiraling cost of conducting elections. With every cycle, the cost of elections keeps rising, making many countries unable fund critical aspects of the electoral process as a sovereign responsibility.”

    He also added that the “ ever rising cost of voter registration and the compilation of a credible voters’ register, recruitment and training of electoral officials, provision of electoral logistics, election security, civic and voter education, procurement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, deployment of electoral technology, undertaking regular engagement with stakeholders and handling of pre-election and post-election litigations are enormous. The task of meeting such extensive expenditure has increasingly challenged the national resources of many countries in our region. It is against this background that Governing Board of ECONEC inaugurated this study to explore what we can do as Election Managers, working together with national stakeholders and development partners, to find ways to reduce the cost of elections without jettisoning new innovations or compromising the quality, transparency and credibility of elections. “

  • INEC projects 80m registered voters ahead of 2019 elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) said on Thursday that more than 80 million registered Nigerians were expected to vote during the 2019 general elections in the country.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this in a paper he presented at the 14th All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) holding in Asaba, Delta capital.

    Yakubu, represented by Mike Igini, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Akwa Ibom, said that the figure was made up of 67 million existing registered voters and 14 million fresh registrants.

    He said 91 political parties had been registered ahead of the 2019 elections, adding that there was a total of 120,000 polling units across the country.

    The INEC chairman also said that the commission had so far conducted about 190 elections that had not been upturned by any law court.

    He further disclosed that the commission had 16,000 staff across the nation, but added that the number was insignificant in managing elections effectively.

    Yakubu urged Nigerians to take ownership of the election process by participating actively in it.

    The INEC chairman appealed to politicians to shun “vote-buying” which he said the commission was currently working hard to curb.

    “Vote-buying is bad and if we don’t deal with the problem of vote-buying, it will destroy the electoral process,” he said.

    He further tasked the media to maintain neutrality in all its activities during and after elections, noting that the media had assisted tremendously in sustaining voters’ enlightenment.

    Yakubu said that the gathering of editors provided an opportunity for INEC to update those who determined the content of news for the Nigerian people on the extent of its preparations for the elections.

    Read Also: Midnight Raids: Reps ask Customs to return seized Rice

    “No other body in the country has a better reach than the media in disseminating the goals, intensions and efforts of the commission,” he said.

    He noted that credible elections underscored the idea of election integrity and the notion of inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.

    According to him, it requires that the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) who manage elections should live above board.

    Mahmood advised the EMBs to act in a non-partisan and independent manner by ensuring that established rules governing the conduct of elections were enforced fully and impartially.

  • 2019: INEC calls for addressing barriers to women participation

    …. Nigeria should adopt the Senegal model, says Hon. Dukku

    The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has called on all political stakeholders to address barriers to political participation of women in the country.

    Yakubu posited that Nigeria still ranks lowest amongst the countries with women participation in electoral process.

    This is as Chairman, House Committee on Electoral and Political Matter, Hon. Aishatu Jubril Dukku advised Nigeria to adopt the Senegal model where the deputy to a candidate in any elective position comes from the opposite sex, as a way of addressing women participation in politics.

    Speaking at the Workshop on INEC’s role in enhancing women participation in the electoral process: Creating synergy amongst women politicians, scholars and activities, the duo argued that women are still largely absent from national and local decision-making process and face enormous exclusionary mechanisms that have become serious barriers to participation.

    According to Yakubu, “Strengthening woman’s right, addressing barriers to political participation and expanding civic spaces are thus critical to the Deeping democracy.

    “Although women constitute 49% of Nigeria voting population, the nation average in female representation stands at 6.7% in contrast to the global average of 22.5% in 2018. This is one of the lowest amongst the countries in the ECOWAS region, especially when compared to Ghana (10.7%) and Togo (17.6%).

    In 2015, eight female senators, twenty House of Representatives members and six female Deputy Governors who had joint tickets with male gubernatorial candidates were elected. Similarly, only one female contested for the office of the president while four presidential candidates had females as their Vice.

    “Global statistics for gender parity indicate that in 2015, out of 188 countries, Nigeria was 152nd in the human Development index on Gender inequality and 118nd countries in 2017. Thus, female representation remains low in our national life, and we need to take urgent measures to improve this profile especially in view of UN’s s Sustainable Development Goals(SDG5 in particular). From the foregoing, a lot needs to be done by all stakeholders to ensure more practical, effective, sustained and inclusive programme of action designed at Deeping the participation of women in our political and electoral processes are designed. This, I gather, is one of the key objectives of this workshop and I urge you all to, at the end of these two days, to develop a clear programme to this effect.”

    Hence, the INEC boss said that the “key objectives of this conference is also to explore ways of creating bridges between women politicians, scholars and activists so that synergies can develop in our collective effort to expand inclusivity by deepening the participation of women in the electoral process. Such conversations within the female community of voters are of crucial significance in expanding.”

    Read Also: INEC is in order, says Oyegun

    He further added that “Inclusivity. Forms for sharing experience and resources can be established, research and policy briefs in the academia can be leveraged ob by both female politicians and civil society activists, and the practical experiences of politicians and activist could provide significant insights into political behavior for academic research. Such linkages are all crucial in expanding inclusivity and participation.”

    He also assured the gathering that “the commission will continue to engage with critical stakeholder at various levels to secure support to incorporate gender issues into the electoral process in Nigeria. As stakeholders, we share the responsibility to build a gender balanced democracy for the Nigeria of today and of the future. I wish you fruitful deliberations.”

    Hon. Dakku on her part noted that only the men cannot adequately represent the interest of the women.

    As a way to address the situation, she said Nigeria should adopt the Senegal model.

    She also want the women to boycott future elections if the electoral umpire, political parties and stakeholders in elections fail to implement the gender policies in future  elections

    “One can also argue that men cannot adequately represent women’s interests, needs and concerns in the legislature. There are substantive women’s issues such as child and maternal health, HIV/AIDS, woman’s trafficking, child upbringing amongst others that require women perspectives and orientation towards addressing them. The number of women in the legislative house can determine the extent to which women’s issues will attract the attention of policy- makers.

    “Now going forward, as a way of finding solutions to this imbalance as relates to women participation in electoral process, political parties in Nigeria should adopt the Senegal model where the deputy to a candidate in any elective position comes from the opposite sex. Today, five (5) out of the top fifteen (15) countries with the highest  number of female representation are African, namely: Rwanda (64 percent), Senegal (42.7 percent), South Africa (41.7 percent),

    “Women need to organize themselves, continually educate and create awareness of the importance of voting more women in to political office and leadership position. Nigerian women need to be aggressive in pressing for the implementation of the three important Gender policies in all electoral process in future (Nigerian Gender policy, political parties Gender Policies and INEC Gender Policy).

    “It is not going to be out of place to suggest that women boycott future elections if the electoral umpire, political parties and stakeholders in elections fail to implement these three policies in future  elections.”

    Also, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, UN Women representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS said the challenge should be how to scale up women participation using the INEC gender policy and other instruments.

  • INEC decries exclusion of persons with disability

    ….unveils plan for 25m PWD ahead of 2019

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decried the exclusion of persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the country’s electoral process.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stressed that excluding a community with an estimated population of 25 million from the political process, amounts to denying the nation of their critical contribution.

    Yakubu spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the Public presentation of INEC framework on access and participation of PWDs.

    He therefore said that the commission has come up with various policies for the engagement of PWDs as well as the expertise to implement the Framework. The document is therefore expected to guide the decision making process and activities of the Commission from the Committee level, Departmental and Divisional level, down to the State and Local Government Area offices.

    Yakubu who was represented by National Commissioner and Chairman Outreach and Partnership Committee (OPC),Dr. Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola said: “Permit me, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen to stress that, excluding a community with an estimated population of over 25 million from the political process, amounts to denying the nation the much needed contribution of this critical mass in the task of nation building, as well as a dent on Nigeria’s domestic and international commitment to respecting and promoting the human rights of ‘ all its citizens.

    “Democracy is all about participation; it should be an all-comers affair. For it to have any meaning, all eligible citizens must be allowed to participate meaningfully not just symbolically.”

    To ensure that no one was left behind, the Commission, he said “commenced certain strategic initiatives beginning with its Gender Policy which it has faithfully implemented in the last few years. It is also in the process of developing its Youth Engagement Strategy.”

    On the policy framework which was presented, he said “From a human right perspective, this document not only guarantees the full participation of eligible PWDs and all such vulnerable groups, but places responsibilities and obligations on the Commission, as well as other election stakeholders in line with its objective of making our elections more inclusive.

    Read Also: Is INEC not right on Osun poll?

    “However, while we acknowledge that the document about to be formally presented may not necessarily carry the weight and force of law in all regards, it comes with a moral burden and weight on the part of all stakeholders to ensure the inclusion of all eligible PWDs in the electoral process. As a Commission, we intend to lead in this regard. We take the Framework as our Charter with all citizens living with any disability. We hold ourselves bound by the commitments contained in this Framework.

    “We are of the candid view that integrating aspects or the entire Framework into a codified law should be the immediate focus of stakeholders and the Commission is hereby committing to lead in the advocacy for such in the future.

    “The summary of this document revolves around the rights of eligible PWDs to vote, be voted for, and hold political party offices, among others. It further expands access of eligible PWDs to the electoral process by placing responsibilities and obligations on the Election Management Body (EMB) to provide assistive materials, as well as provide or ensure PWD friendly and compliant environment and processes.”

    Even before this formal presentation, the Commission he said “has since commenced the pilot of certain aspects of PWD access in the recent off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States and will hopefully replicate same in other elections. The Commission will build on the successes of the pilots and with lessons learned, improve on the inclusiveness of our future elections.

    “Beyond this, the Commission has put in place various platforms for the engagement of PWDs as well as the expertise to implement the Framework. This document is therefore expected to guide the decision making process and activities of the Commission from the Committee level, Departmental and Divisional level, down to the State and Local Government Area offices.”

     

  • PDP goes to court over Osun election

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said it’s going to court to challenge the inconclusive verdict passed on last Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the election, following the cancellation of the service in some local government areas.

    But in a statement on Monday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party insisted that the election was concluded and results announced in all polling and the collation centers.

    According the PDP, that signified the lawful conclusion of the election, thus removing INEC’s powers to declare the election inconclusive.

    The statement said, “Our electoral law is clear that once an election result is declared, INEC is bound to return a winner. INEC, in trying to play the card of the defeated All Progressives Congress (APC), contravened the law by refusing to announce a return, even when the declared results have thrown up a winner.

    “Section 69 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) states that inter-alia “in an election to the office of the President or governor whether or not contested and in any contested election to any other elective office, the result shall be ascertained by counting the votes cast for each candidate and subject to the provisions of sections 133, 134 and 179 of the constitution, the candidate that receives the highest number of votes shall be declared elected by the appropriate Returning Officer”.

    Read Also: ‘PDP’s call for result selfish’

    “Concurrently, Section 179 (2), (a) (b) of the constitution directly prescribes that “a candidate for an election to the office of Governor of a State shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being two or more candidates – (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in the State.

    “INEC’s action in declaring a concluded election as inconclusive is therefore an annulment, totally duplicitous, constitutionally illegal, ultra-vires and as such null and void”.

    The PDP called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Osun State Governorship Election Returning Officer, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, for “succumbing to the pressure of the APC” and declaring a decided election as inconclusive.

    “We demand that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu immediately summon the courage to do the needful by declaring our candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, as winner.

    “It is completely ludicrous, that INEC and the APC are now attempting to divert the narrative from the substance of the election by making outlandish allegations against the PDP and lobbying Civil Society Organizations and Electoral Observers to validate their illegality.

    “Moreover, even if the Osun governorship election is conducted over and over again, the PDP will still win as the people of the state have chosen the PDP and its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

    “Nevertheless, we insist that the September 22, 2018 election, under our laws, is conclusive and our candidate must be declared winner”

  • Osun Decides 2018: PDP rejects INEC’s inconclusive verdict

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the inconclusive verdict delivered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

    The party has insisted that the process was conclusive and that its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who won a total of 254, 698 votes was in clear lead and should be immediately declared winner by INEC, having met the requirements of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    At a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that Section 179 (2) (a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, (as amended), was clear and very unambiguous in spelling out the conditions for returning a candidate to the office of governor of a state.

    Quoting from the said Section, the PDP said, “A candidate for an election to the office of Governor of a State shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being two or more candidates – (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in the State”.

    The main opposition party insisted that the declaration by INEC of the election as inconclusive, was a “sordid robbery” of the franchise of the people of Osun State, who participated in the election.

    Continuing, the PDP said, “It is obvious that having failed in their schemes to alter the final results due to the resistance of the people, the APC had to bear pressure on INEC to declare the election inconclusive so as to pave way for the perfection of their manipulative schemes, which the people of Osun state have firmly resisted so far.

    Read Also: Updated: INEC declares Osun governorship election inconclusive

    “Instead of yielding to the evil machination of the APC, INEC should have summoned the patriotic courage to immune itself and end this needless controversy by returning the PDP and declare our candidate as the winner.

    “It is instructive to state that the PDP will no longer accept inconclusive elections as subterfuge by the APC attain its dubious electoral manipulative schemes in our nation.

    “The people of Osun state and the entire nation are already aware that the PDP won this election. They have the authentic figures from the polling units and know the candidate the voters prefer.

    “The people, by their votes, have overwhelmingly declared for our candidate and we are not ready to accept any attempt by anybody to use any means whatsoever to steal our mandate freely given by the people.

    “The PDP is for peace, but we will not hesitate to use every force available in a democracy to face any attempt to subvert the will of the people or rig us out in this election”

    The party charged the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to avoid the fury of the people by immediately reversing what it described as a “fraudulent” decision by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and declaring its candidate the winner of the election.

    “Anything short of this is definitely not acceptable to the PDP and the people of Osun and it is a direct recipe for crisis.

    “Finally, the PDP cautions INEC and the APC to note that the game is up. The people of Osun state have decided in favour of the PDP and that has become a fact that can never be altered”, the party added.

  • PDP cautions INEC over alleged plot to shift 2019 elections

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against alleged plots to shift the dates for the 2019 general elections.

    The opposition party also advised the chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu not to allow the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Buhari Presidency to use him to execute their plots to frustrate the conduct of credible elections in 2019.

    Saying that the plot was meant to push for illegal tenure elongation for President Buhari and the APC, the PDP told the President and his party to perish the thoughts of staying in power a day beyond May 29, 2019.

    A statement on Wednesday by the spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said, the opposition party was already aware of suggestions by the INEC chairman to have the elections postponed.

    The PDP further stated that the alleged plot was a product of series of clandestine meetings between the INEC and the APC on ways to frustrate the 2019 elections. It added that the APC and the INEC have realised that there is no hope for President Buhari in the 2019 polls.

    Read Also: 2019: No plan to postpone elections, says INEC

    The statement said, “Nigerians and the international community have also noted the various ploys by INEC to frustrate a credible elections, including its stiff opposition to the amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly to check APC rigging plans in addition to its exposed collaborations with INEC to manipulate the voters register, enrol underage voters and secretly creating 30,000 illegal polling centers in certain remote areas from where it plans to allocate fictitious votes to the APC.

    “Nigerians may recall that the PDP had earlier alerted of the plot by the Buhari Presidency to enmesh the 2019 elections into a needless controversy by deliberately delaying the presentation of the election budget to the National Assembly until the time the parliament was proceeding on annual recess.

    “Ostensibly to ensure that the election does not escape controversy, President Buhari demanded that the fund be taken from already approved budget for lawmakers’ constituency votes, despite entreaties by well-meaning Nigerians for a fresh budget for the elections.

    “Seeing that Nigerians are standing shoulder to shoulder with the PDP to resist and dismantle their rigging machinery, the APC and Buhari Presidency are now trying to use INEC to frustrate the elections and cause crisis in our country.

    “The PDP therefore rejects this plot by APC and INEC. The 2019 election must hold as scheduled. Nigerians are ready for elections and cannot wait to vote out President Buhari and his dysfunctional APC.

    “In that wise, our party cautions the INEC Chairman to open up, expose the Buhari Presidency and immediately commence the application of its constitutional First Line Charge funding instruments instead entangling itself with the plot to destroy our nation”.

  • Vote-buying: INEC vows to prosecute suspects in Osun gubernatorial poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will arrest and prosecute anyone that engages in vote-buying in the September  22 governorship election in Osun State, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, said yesterday.

    Yakubu,speaking at the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja, said the commission would no longer take lightly the  issue of vote-buying.

    “We are witnessing an ugly trend of vote-buying in recent elections in the country; this is giving our democracy a bad name.

    “There is difference between democracy, which is the government of the people, made by the people and for the people, and plutocracy, which is government by the rich.

    “We are going to make the Osun governorship election a big statement by arresting and prosecuting vote-buyers. We can’t carry this ugly trend to 2019 elections,”he said.

    He urged political parties to adhere strictly to the commission’s timetable and schedule of activities for 2019 general elections.

    The chairman advised political parties to ensure that their primaries were credible, saying credible and peaceful elections started with political parties which were the cornerstone of our democracy.

    He added: “Nobody can aspire for an elective position without a political party. We conduct the election, while parties produce the candidates, and that is why conducting credible party primaries is essential.”

    He said the INEC had so far received invitation letters from 60 political parties out of the 91 registered political parties to monitor their primaries.

    Yakubu added the commission would only recognise notices of primaries from parties’ national executive committees.

    “Notification should not come from branches; avoid incessant changes to party primaries and strife to eliminate rancorous primaries.

    “We incur cost in the process of monitoring party pri

    maries; we don’t have all the resources in the world to monitor party primaries.

    “Primaries should be resolved without litigations; we are still battling with litigations from party primaries conducted in 2014; we have been dragged to court 680 times over party primaries.

    “Political parties are key to our democracy; some parties change names of candidates who genuinely emerged from party primaries, while some submit names of candidates without conducting primaries.

    “Even though we have no power under the law to reject the names of candidates submitted by political parties, this time, we will name and shame political parties that do these.

    “So, we should do the right thing for our democracy.”

  • INEC to print 16.5m PVCs before 2019 general elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will print 16,500,192 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and make them available for collection by citizens ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the regular meeting of the commission with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) on Thursday in Abuja.

    Yakubu said that for a period of 16 months, from April 27, 2017 to Aug. 31, it registered a total of 14,551,482 new voters for its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    He said if the figure was added to the existing register of 69,720,350 voters, it meant that the nation now had a voter population of 84,271,832.

    He explained that the figure might drop slightly after the commission must have run  the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

    “In addition to fresh registration, the Commission is also processing 769,917 requests for intra and inter-State transfers as well as 1,178,793 requests for replacement of lost, damaged or cards with misspelt names or incorrect personal details of voters as required by law.

    “This means that the Commission has to print a total of 16,500,192 PVCs and make them available for collection by citizens ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Read Also: INEC registers over 5 million eligible voters in Kano

    “Already, the Commission has printed the PVCs for those registered in 2017 and delivered them to states for collection.

    “I can also confirm that the PVCs for 2.7 million voters registered in the first quarter of 2018 have been printed and will be delivered to the states next week.

    “We wish to reassure Nigerians that every registered voter will have his/her PVC available for collection before the general election.

    “The collection of PVCs will continue until one week to the 2019 general elections. We shall ensure that the process of collection is simplified with minimum inconvenience to citizens.

    “We will also ensure that information about the collection of PVCs is widely disseminated.

    “Already, we are partnering with telecommunication companies to send bulk text (sms) messages to citizens for the collection of their PVCs’’.

    He added that after running the AFIS, the Commission would present a detailed analysis of the voter register, not only by state and gender, but also by age group and occupation.

    Yakubu appealed to Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the ongoing nationwide display of the particulars of new voters for claims and objections as required by law.

    “By doing so, citizens will be helping the Commission to further clean up the register and purge it of all ineligible registrants as required by Sec. 12 of the Electoral Act.

    “The Commission has consistently shared information on the voter registration exercise with Nigerians by publishing the figures as well as detailed breakdown by states and gender’’.

    Yakubu said that the meeting would consider consequential steps the commission needed to take as it continues to prepare for the 2019 general elections.

    He said that the Commission would also consider options to fast track the distribution of the PVCs before general elections, including the devolution of collection to Ward level.

    “We however wish to restate the Commission’s policy that no PVCs will be collected by proxy. Registered voters must endeavour to collect their cards personally.

    “We are working hard to ensure that no PVC goes into the wrong hands.

    On the commission’s  preparation for the Osun State Governorship election, Yakubu said all processes and activities were going according to our timetable and schedule of activities released almost a year ago.

    “The last major activity was the presentation of the Voters’ Register to each of the 48 political parties fielding candidates in the election, giving detailed information of the distribution of the 1.6 million registered voters by Local Government Areas, Wards and Polling Units’’.

    Yakubu said that the Commission had been working on a multi-faceted approach to the menace of vote-buying and other sundry electoral malpractices.

    “We will introduce changes to the election-day administration of our polling units, in addition to the electronic tracking of our sensitive materials.

    “We are discussing with the security agencies on a more vigorous enforcement of the law against voter-inducement.

    “Furthermore, we are working with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and other stakeholders on voter education and sensitisation.

    This is the third election we are conducting in Osun State since the 2015 general elections.

    “The first was the Ife Central State Constituency and the Osun West Senatorial District. We wish to reassure the people of Osun state that their votes will continue to count.”

    He assured Nigerians that the country’s elections would continue to meet the requirements of laws, processes and procedures as well as international best practice.

    NAN

  • Osun election: INEC to convey security meeting next week

    ….says preparations are on course

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be convening a security meeting next week for the Osun state governorship election slated for the 22nd of this month.

    The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the essence of the meeting is to review the security arrangement for the election.

    Besides, he said the commission is working on a multi-faceted approach to the menace of vote-buying and other sundry electoral malpractices.

    He assured the general public that INEC will introduce changes to the election-day administration at the polling units. 48 political parties have indicated interest to participate in the poll.

    Yakubu spoke on Thursday at the opening of the meeting of the management of the commission and Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) in Abuja.

    He said, “The Commission is convening a meeting of the national Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) next week to review the security arrangement for the election.”

    On the preparation for the election, Yakubu said that the omission is on course; adding that all processes and activities are going according to schedule of activities.

    Read Also: INEC moves to foil vote buying

    He said: “Furthermore, the Commission is convening a meeting of the national Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) next week to review the security arrangement for the election.

    “We are working on a multi-faceted approach to the menace of vote-buying and other sundry electoral malpractices. We will introduce changes to the election-day administration of our polling units, in addition to the electronic tracking of our sensitive materials. We are discussing with the security agencies on a more vigorous enforcement of the law against voter-inducement.”

    On the preparation for the Osun State Governorship election, he said “all processes and activities are going according to our timetable and schedule of activities released almost a year ago. The last major activity was the presentation of the Voters’ Register to each of the 48 political parties fielding candidates in the election, giving detailed information of the distribution of the 1.6 million registered voters by Local Government Areas, Wards and Polling Units. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State will brief this meeting on the state of readiness so far.

    “Furthermore, we are working with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and other stakeholders on voter education and sensitization. This is the third election we are conducting in Osun State since the 2015 general elections. The first was the Ife Central State Constituency and the Osun West Senatorial District. We wish to reassure the people of Osun State that their votes will continue to count.”