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Tag: Mahmood Yakubu

  • INEC registers 9.7 million new voters

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it registered 9.7 million new voters between April 27, 2017 and June 14.

    INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu stated this on Wednesday at the INEC Youth Votes Count Campus Outreach at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

    The event was organized in collaboration with the European Union (EU) in commemoration of Europe Day 2018 and the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES).

    Mahmood, who delivered the keynote address, launched an INEC voter registration centre at the varsity as well as the Voter Education Volunteer Provramme (UNILAG) chapter.

    He said: “From the 27th of April last year till to the 14th of June this year, we registered 9.7 million new voters in Nigeria. The majority of them are young people. So, you have the power to change. There cannot be proper elections conducted in this country without young people…”

    He said the antidote to security challenges at polling centres is active participation by the electorate.

    According to Mahmood, ‘nobody will take a gun where they know they will be challenged but when people abandon polling units, it becomes easier for merchants of violence to disrupt the process.”

    The event also Head of EU delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ambassador Ketil Karlsen; Project Coordinator ECES, Rudolf Elbling; Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Lagos State, Sam Olumekun.

    Read Also: 80m voters ‘ll decide 2019 polls—INEC chair

    Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde actor/comedians Bright Okpocha, alias Basketmouth, Ayo Makun alias AY, Helen Paul alias Tatafo led a panel of discussants at the event.

    Karlsen urged the youth to take advantage of their numerical strength and own the electoral system in Nigeria.

    He added: “What I would really like to assemble is the strongest partnership ever between the European Union and Nigeria and strongest partnership ever between the European Union and the youth of Nigeria.”

    Jalade-Ekeinde urged youths not to be afraid to “waste our votes” on the candidates of their choice.

    She said: “The point is not whether or not the candidate of your choice wins but the point is to put the numbers behind them to give them the needed confidence to try again. Come 2019, we should be ready to waste our votes even if it is just to make a point and disrupt the status.”

    Basketmouth, AY and Tatafo urged young adults to go beyond merely complaining but get their Permanent Voter Cards and exercise their franchise either by contesting for office or voting.

    UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who spoke earlier urged the students to seize the opportunity provided by the event to “participate in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise,” and collect their permanent voter cards.

    “This voter education campaign for students of tertiary institutions must be applauded,” Ogundipe added.

  • 2019: 2Baba urges youths to get their PVCs

    A Nigerian singer, 2Baba, also known as Innocent Idibia,  has called on Nigerian youths to register for their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), ahead of 2019 general elections.

    He made the call at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Campus Outreach program on `Youth Votes Count,’’ at the University of Abuja, on Thursday.

    Read Also: PVC: INEC receives 4m for newly registered voters

    2Baba, who is also an INEC Youths Ambassador, urged the youth to actively get involved in constructive political discussions, especially social media.

    “Your vote is your bragging right, so get your PVCs, so take your destinies into your hands, whatever you want to be in the next 10 years start now.

    “Let us go out and vote for our conscience. We have always been told that we are the future of Nigeria, it is our time now yet the old is still encroaching into our space.

    “This coming election is our opportunity to change things, your destiny is what you make of it so use it wisely.’’

    Another INEC Ambassador, Mrs Helen Paul, encouraged Nigerian youths to believe in themselves and in their ability to make difference in politics.

    She expressed hope in the leadership of the Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC to deliver credible elections to Nigerians in 2019.

    She urged the youth not to relent but get their PVCs to vote, and be voted to be able to participate fully in the elections.

    Also, Mr Cobhams Asuquo, an INEC Ambassador, urged youths to recognize opportunities at their disposal.

    Asuquo said that the saddest thing that could happen to anybody was not to recognize and use the opportunities at his disposal.

    “Your vote is your right. It is your power, I beg you to choose to exercise that power because it determines what kind of future we will have as a nation.

    “So I am begging you to use your vote wisely and intentionally collect your PVCs and make sure that come 2019, under rain or sunshine, you will come out to vote.’’

    He, however, appealed to INEC to tackle the issue of underage voter before the next general elections, to ensure credible elections.

    NAN

  • PVC: INEC receives 4m for newly registered voters

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received delivery of four million printed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), it was learnt.

    The PVCs according to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, is for 2017 registered voters.

    Yakubu who made the disclosure on Thursday  at INEC Campus Outreach on “Youth Votes Count’’ at University of Abuja said that the PVCs would be delivered to states over the weekend for onward distribution.

    He said: “For those who registered in 2017 between April and December 2017, all the cards of four million have been printed and will be delivered to the state this weekend.

    “`So, by next week all those who registered in 2017 will begin to collect their cards.

    “For those who registered in first quarter of 2018 and those will continue to register before elections in 2019, I assure you that your cards will be available ahead of the general elections.’’

    He also assured that PVCs for newly registered voters in Ekiti and Osun states would also be ready before the states governorship elections.

    Speaking on the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), INEC boss said the commission had registered about 8 million new voters.

    “So far, we have registered in 2017 about 4 million Nigerian; in the first quarter of 2018 we registered about 2.9 million and in the four week of the second quarter, as at yesterday (Wednesday), we registered about 1.1million more.

    “At the end of the exercise we expect about 11 million Nigerians will be registered.’’

    Yakubu, who announced the creation of a registration centre in the campus, advised students and residents of Gwagwalada closed to the campus make use of the opportunity to register.

    He also advised them to endeavour to collect their PVCs and participate in the voting during elections, pledging that their votes would count.

    “When you collect you PVCs, please on Feb. 16 and March 2, 2019, make sure you go out and vote.

    “Let me give you an undertaking that in 2019 your votes will count. In 2019 only the votes cast by Nigerians will determine who wins election,’’

    Yakubu said that the commission was working to carry everybody along, including the People Living with Disability in its preparation for 2019 general election including the provision of magnified glasses which was demonstrated in Anambra governorship election.

    The Vice-Chancellor UNIABUJA, Prof. Michael Adikwu in his goodwill message commended INEC for starting with the university in its sensitisation of Nigerian students in the electoral processes.

    Adikwu represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Edward Nwana, said that the INEC outreach to the university underscore the important of youths in the future of Nigeria.

    “INEC has scored a very important goal by getting on board the future of our country that’s the youth to participate properly in a nonviolent manner in the electoral process

    “What is happening today gives youth a lot of hope for the country that we will have elections that will be credible and defensible in every part of the world

    “I do hope that after today’s session there will be no doubt about  that we will all play our roles in ensuring that our electoral processes are credible.’’

    The President of UNIABUJA Student Union Government, stressed the need to carry youth along in the electoral process.

    “It is a great thing for INEC to deem it fit to start the pioneer program with UNIABUJA.

    “You cannot take away youths from politics. Youths in politics, leadership and governance is something that must be taken with utmost value if Nigeria must reach the great future

    “This step by INEC meant that it believed in the youths not only as the leaders of tomorrow but of today and we will lead ourselves into tomorrow.

    “Youths represent a great percentage in the nation but if we can only write on paper without practising it to ensure that the youths get ready for the future ahead by demanding and participating in who leads them then it is a waste.’’

    INEC ambassadors; Innocent 2baba Idibia, Helen Paul, Cobhams Asuquo , a Multi-award wining musician/producer with visual challenge, as well as Yakubu and Obasanjo feature at the panel session.

  • PDP accuses INEC, APC of rigging plot

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the plotting to secretly create illegal 30, 000 polling units in “compromised areas” in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    A statement on Friday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan described the alleged plot as wicked, horrible and totally unacceptable.

    The opposition party said it uncovered the the plot through investigation and that it was part of the grand design by the Prof Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC to rig the 2019 general elections in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC.

    The statement said, “We are aware of series of clandestine meetings between compromised officials of the commission and certain agents of the Presidency and APC, where the plot to sneak in the 30, 000 illegal polling units in some remote areas and through which they plan to allocate votes to President Buhari and the APC were perfected.

    “Having realised that Nigerians have completely rejected them because of their manifold failures in governance, the Presidency and the APC are now employing all manners of dirty antics to create ways to rig the polls and foist President Buhari back on Nigerians.

    “The PDP cautions INEC not to set the nation on fire by its overt conspiratory tendencies. Prof. Yakubu should heed wise counsel and immediately perish the thoughts of using such polling units or dividing the nation along ethnic lines in the 2019 general elections, as such would be stiffly resisted.

    “We invite INEC to note that every Nigerian has seen the handwriting on the wall regarding the general rejection of President Buhari and the APC well ahead of the elections. We all know where the tide is flowing and Nigerians are not ready to, and will never  accept any results that do not reflect that reality.

    “Having completely lost confidence in the integrity of INEC under Prof. Yakubu, we unequivocally demand that all processes leading to the 2019 must be subjected to open review of political parties and stakeholders at all levels.

    “In this regard, we demand that INEC make public the location and status of all polling units as well as the report of its investigation of under-age voters in various parts of the country, particularly, Kano and Katsina states.

    “Finally, we urge Nigerians to remain vigilant and monitor all processes to ensure that INEC and the APC do not, at any point in the process, manipulate the 2019 general election and subvert the will of the people.

    “The best thing  APC and the Presidency should do now is to accept failure, shed their desperation for power and desist from actions that will push the nation to the brinks”.

  • INEC swears in seven new RECs

    Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has sworn in seven new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) bringing the total number of serving RECs in the commission to 33.

    Performing the ceremony on Tuesday in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, expressed confidence that the new RECs would contribute to the commission’s determination to make 2019 general elections the best in the country.

    He said “with the track records of service in the academia, public service and private sector, it is gratifying to note that the new RECs made positive contributions to the society in various ways.

    “I am equally delighted to note that some of you have managed elections at national level as RECs.

    “I am confident that you will bring to bear on your new assignments, the experience of the recent past that will contribute to our determination to make the 2019 general elections our best elections in Nigeria.”

    Yakubu advised the new commissioners to maintain openness and consultations, as well as be firm and courageous in carrying out their new assignments.

    The chairman disclosed that in addition to the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, the commission would be conducting four bye-elections this year to fill vacancies.

    These, according to him, include Takum state constituency in Taraba, Lokoja/Koton-Karfe Federal Constituency in c, Bauchi South Senatorial District, and Kastina North Senatorial District in Kastina State.

    The INEC boss reassured newly registered voters in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration ( CVR ) of getting their Permanent Voter Cards ( PVCs ) before the 2019 general elections.

    He added that “we have consistently reassured the public that for those who registered in 2017, their PVCs would be available for collection in the first week of May 2018.

    “Those who registered in the first quarter of this year, that is between January and March, as well as those who are registering right now in the second quarter of this year, would collect their cards thereafter.”

    Yakubu also reassured the public and those who applied for replacement of their PVCs that their cards would be available for collection before the 2019 general elections.

    Read Also: Wanted: An ‘independent’ INEC

    “For those who registered in Ekiti and Osun in 2017 and 2018, priority attention was given to the production of their PVCs, such that all the cards would be available ahead of the July 14 and Sept. 22 governorship elections,’’ he said.

    Responding on behalf of the new RECs, Mr Segun Agbaje, representing Ekiti State, pledged the new commissioner’s readiness to justify the confidence reposed in them.

    He said “by the grace of God, we shall finish well.”

    He expressed confidence in the leadership of Yakubu, saying “with your style of leadership, we would
    not be surprised if 2019 elections turned out to be the best elections in the country.”

    The new RECs are: Mr Baba Yusuf and Mr Segun Agbaje, representing Borno and Ekiti states for second term.

    Others are Dr Uthman Ajidagba, Kwara;  Yahaya Bello, Nasarawa State; Dr Emmanuel Hart, Rivers; Mohammed Ibrahim, Gombe and Dr Cyril Omorogbe, Edo.

    NAN

  • Elections: ICT necessary tool – INEC Chairman

    The President, ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions ( ECONEC ), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said in spite of the challenges of deploying technology in electoral processes, its benefits had remained enormous.

    He stated this on Monday at the opening of a three-day International Conference of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) in West and Southern African countries in Abuja.

    The conference has “Opportunities and Challenges in the Use of Technology: Experiences from West and Southern Africa’’ as theme.

    Yakubu, who is also the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ), said that the deployment of technology had encouraged and empowered citizens, more than before, to participate in the electoral process.

    According to him, technology has helped citizens to organise, mobilise and protect their mandates using various social media platforms to track result transmission and undertake Parallel Vote Tabulation ( PVT ).

    The ECONEC president said that given the deficit of infrastructure and expertise in many West and Southern Africa countries, and the regularity of elections conducted, concerns had been raised about cost, choice and effectiveness of technology.

    He said that given the high stakes involved in conducting elections in developing countries, electoral commissions must understandably be worried about the twin issues of communication and security.

    “In addition, we have to contend with the disturbing but rapidly increasing incidence of election-meddling through the deployment of counter-technology on a global scale by state and non-state actors.

    “Nevertheless, technology has come to stay and its benefits are immense.

    “`While it is true that all countries participating in this conference have deployed technology in one form or the other to improve on the electoral process, the outcome varies from one country to another.

    “However, with this coming together of election managers and experts to share experience, we shall be better prepared in making the choice of the appropriate and cost effective technology that increase the public confidence in the electoral process.

    “This will also help us further protect the sanctity and integrity of the ballot,’’ he said.

    Read Also: Group storms INEC, demands prosecution of Mantu over ‘poll-rigging confession’

    In a goodwill message, Notemba Tjipeuja, Executive Committee Chairperson, Election Commission Forum, Southern African Development Community ( ECF-SADC ), said that the introduction of ICT in the electoral process had continued to attract interest among stakeholders.

    Tjipeuja, also the Chairperson, Electoral Commission of Namibia ( ECN ), the first country in Africa to use electronic voting machine, said that one of the benefits of technology was automatic and error-free counting.

    She listed other benefits of the introduction of electronic voting machine as replacement of the ballot paper and ballot boxes.

    Some others, according to her, include the elimination of spoilt ballots, minimising of human error, speeding up the voting process, securing of votes on control units and maintaining the secrecy of the ballot.

    Tjipeuja said “today, most EMBs around the world use new technologies such as computer-based software and more complex technology in electoral processes.

    “While we all agree that as EMBs, we cannot ignore technology, we have to at the same time, be mindful of the cost associated with the management of elections.

    “This is one of the challenges for governments and all EMBs.

    “We are mindful of the need for cost-saving measures by all EMBs to curb the ever-increasing cost of elections, the need to carefully manage the use of ICT and the need to sustain the integrity of elections,’’ she added.

    Delegates from 30 countries in ECOWAS sub-region are attending the conference.

    NAN

  • Why we use academics as collation officers – INEC  Chairman

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has disclosed that the determination to make outcomes of elections credible informed the engagement of tested and trusted members of the academic community as collation officers by the electoral body.

    Yakubu, while disclosing that an additional seven million Nigerians have registered through the window provided by the Continuous Voters Registration Programme, reiterated the electoral body’s stand that there was no legal encumbrance stopping the commission from proceeding with the sequence of election as entrenched in the existing electoral law.

    He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the colloquium for the unveiling of a book titled “INEC Beyond 2015: Overview, challenges and Prospects”, written by the Executive Director of the Independent Service Delivery Monitoring Group ( ISDMG ), Dr. Chima Amadi.   

    Reacting to allegations made by some members of the civil society group that some of the collation officers have been found to have either connived with certain political interests or abdicate their responsibilities in some cases, Yakubu noted that the selection process of the university don has always been thorough with the full participation of the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU ).

    “On how what we are doing to prevent the connivance of collation officers in rigging of results, we still believe that the university community is still apolitical and we can rely on them largely for the job at hand. It is for that reason that the commission has always worker with ASUU to recruit credible persons for us.

    We have now changed the strategy of recruitment as we now move outside the immediate environment where an election is taking place to recruit collation officers. And to endure minimal contact with them, you will see that we no longer publish names of the collation officers as we used to do in the past”, he said.

    On the seven million additional voters, the INEC chairman noted that Rivers State tops the list of states with the highest registered voters followed by Anambra, Borno and Delta. Others include Lagos, Cross River, Osun, Enugu, Kano and Plateau.

    ‘”We have started displaying the register and it would be on till the 30th of April to enable us attend to issues of cleaning the register. We hope more citizens would scrutinize the register so that we can clean it up especially when they alert us with the names of dead citizens.

    I can assure you that we are fully prepared for the 2019 elections and it is going to be better than the 2015 elections. I have been involved in the best profession—teaching. INEC job is a calling. It is not a job. Some of us have integrity and I will make myself available to answer questions to the best of my knowledge”, he stated.

    He said the Commission is in talks with the Nigerian Communications Commission to help in liaising with telecoms service providers to assist in sending bulk messages to millions of voters who are yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards which are still in the offices of the electoral body.

    Speaking on the controversial change in the sequence of the 2019 elections by the National Assembly and the ongoing case at the court, Yakubu noted that: “There is no legal encumbrance on the sequence of election as far as INEC is concerned. There is an existing law and whatever is happening is inchoate. There are no legal lacunae and we have been working based on the existing law. If the proposed amendment is passed, we would look at it. If not, we go ahead with the existing law.”

    The book reviewer and popular human rights activist, Mr. Ledum Mitee, said the 69-page report aptly captures the drama surrounding all the 167 elections conducted by INEC after the 2015 elections, noting that particular attention was paid to the activities of some collation officers who allegedly “colluded with one party or the other or absconded from their duty post and also some security officers who gave security cover to political thugs and colluded with one party or the other.”

  • 2019: INEC targets 80m voters

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said that the commission was targeting registration of 80 million Nigerians in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) ahead of the 2019 .

    The Chairman of the INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, said this at a dialogue with a coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Abuja .

    Yakubu, who was represented by Prof Okey Ibeanu, an INEC National Commissioner, said that so far, the commission had added other four million registrants to the voters’ register so there were around 72, 73 million registrants.

    He said that if the rate of registration being experienced was anything to go by, the number would approach 80 million by the time the process was concluded.

    He said that the commission expended between N115 billion and N120 billion on the 2015 polls.

    “Elections are not really coming cheap in Nigeria so to speak; the 2015 election cost the country between 115 and 120 billion naira.

    Read Also: INEC: over 600,000 PVCs unclaimed in Oyo

    “Compared to that of 2015, the 2019 election budget would be affected by the current exchange rate of naira to dollars.

    “Now you can do a computation, 150 naira to the dollar in 2015 and 300 to the dollar right now. You can then imagine what the present election might cost,” he said.

    Yakubu explained that the electoral umpire had done everything possible to keep the budget for the 2019 election consistent with the exiting realities of the country.

    “Again, this goes back to the question of concluding on the electoral legal framework because if you are going to do transmission by law from the polling units that means additional cost.

    “If you are going to have an additional round of election, that will mean additional cost.

    “So these are some of the issues that tie the electoral legal framework to the budget, to the planning.”

    The INEC chairman said that the Electoral Act provided that 60 days into a new year or not later than 60 days into a new year, the commission should avail political parties the list of registered voters from the previous year.

    He said that the commission had already complied with that, adding that political parties received the registered voters from 2017 about two or three weeks ago.

    Yakubu sought partnership with the civil society organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders on how to deal with high cost of conducting election in the country.

    He expressed the hope that in the long term, partnership was one major area that INEC, Situation Room and other stakeholders would engage to see how to deal with the question of cost of election.

    He said that there were already discussions going on collaboration but needed to be taken more seriously.

    He added that the budget for the election had been completed and submitted to government and the commission was still awaiting reaction.

    The Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Mr Clement Nkanwko, said the essence of the meeting was to engage INEC on how far it had fared .

    Nwankwo said that there was need for Nigerians to know the improvement made on the ongoing continuous voters registration.
    He said this would enable the commission to know how it could improve on the process towards making 2019 poll a success.

    NAN

     

  • INEC partners population commission on dead persons in voter register

    INEC partners population commission on dead persons in voter register

    The Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Tuesday urged the National Population Commission (NPoPC) to furnish it with record of dead citizens since 2015 to enable it to “sanitise’’ the voter register.

    Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the requested when he visited the Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruijeoma, in Abuja.

    He said that the records were necessary to enable the electoral umpire to expunge names of dead persons from the national voter register.

    “We will like to partner NPC and ask that the population commission make available records of dead citizens since 2015 to enable us take necessary steps to remove them from the voter register.

    “We are confident that you will oblige us so that we can further clean up our voter register ahead of the 2019 general elections,” Yakubu said.

    According to him, the commission is determined to do whatever it takes to sanitise the voter register as a free, fair and credible election is dependent on a sanitised voter register.

    The chairman said that as provided by the Constitution, both commissions were saddled with similar responsibilities.

    “While INEC is saddled with the responsibility of registering eligible voters, the population commission registers births and deaths of citizens across the country,” he said.

    He disclosed that a draft copy of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies had been submitted to the population commission for its consideration.

    “When the MoU is signed, it will formalise and enhance collaboration between the sister agencies for the general development of the country,” Yakubu said.

    Responding, Duruijeoma commended INEC for the initiative to sanitise the voter register using records of NPC.

    He said that the collaboration between the sister agencies in the performance of statutory duties was very pivotal to national development.
    According to Duruijeoma, if we get our elections and censuses right, our nation will be on the way to greatness.

    He said that the commission would commence the process of making the records of deaths across the country available to INEC.

    He, however, said that the commission could not pretend to have the records of every birth or death that had occurred since 2015.

    “We look forward to the day when every single birth or death case will be efficiently documented by the commission,” Duruijeoma said.

    He said that copies of the MoU had been circulated among relevant officers within the commission and that necessary inputs were already being made.

    He assured the INEC chairman of his readiness to sign the MoU once it was finalised.

    NAN

  • All registered voters will get PVCs before 2019 – INEC

    All registered voters will get PVCs before 2019 – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Monday said eligible persons registered in ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) would get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before 2019 general elections.

    The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja.

    “Those who registered in 2017, their PVCs will be ready in May; for those who registered in 2018 and those who intend to register will all get their PVCs before the 2019 general elections.

    “For now, we are giving priority attention to Ekiti and Osun governorship elections but all registered Nigerians will get their PVCs before the elections, ” he said.

    Yakubu said that there were 1,446 centres across the country where the voter registration was ongoing, adding that 400 Direct Data Capture machines had been deployed to hasten the process.

    He said that the commission was committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections and improving the electoral process in the country.

    He urged the media to monitor the process of forthcoming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti and report grey areas for immediate actions by the commission.

    The INEC helmsman said that the media should collaborate with the commission on the task of ensuring credible elections by exposing any form of irregularities.

    He said that discussions were ongoing with telecommunication providers to ascertain the availability of 4G and 3G networks in rural areas to support transmission of election results electronically from polling stations.

    He said that the order of the 2019 elections as announced by the commission remained until a new law on elections was enacted.

    Yakubu said the commission had completed all preparatory steps ahead the elections and that the election budget would be presented to the appropriate authorities before the end of the week.

    He disclosed that the committee constituted to investigate alleged registration of under-age persons in Kano would commence work on Wednesday.

    According to him, the commission knows that a credible election begins with a credible voter register and the commission is interested in knowing what exactly happened in Kano.

    The chairman assured that only credible voter register would be used to conduct elections in 2019.

    In separate contributions, journalists urged the commission to train and monitor the activities of its ad hoc personnel, saying that it was necessary to reduce chances of being compromised.

    They urged the electoral umpire to consider the transfer of rural polling units in the North-East to urban centres so as not to disenfranchise Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ).

    NAN