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Tag: Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

  • We are re-strategising for 2019 general elections – INEC

    The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday said the commission was poised to build a functional electoral system ahead of 2019 general elections.

    Yakubu stated this at the opening of a two-day strategic workshop to review the implementation of the commission’s strategic plan for 2012-2016, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The chairman said the workshop was part of the commission’s strategic plan towards successful general elections in 2019 and beyond.

    “The objective of this workshop is to retrospect and project in two days, and come up with better ideas and solutions,” NAN quoted Yakubu as saying at the workshop.

    “We need to re-strategise for the 2019 general elections and beyond to come up with practical solutions on how to strengthen the electoral process.

    “This we will do based on the policies of fairness, transparency, credibility and impartiality.”

  • Rivers: 70 incidents of deliberate obstructions recorded – INEC

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said he is too big to be intimidated or influenced by anybody.

    He assured that the commission will prosecute all those involved in the crisis that rocked the December 10 legislative rerun elections in Rivers.

    Speaking at a World Press Conference on Friday, Yakubu also said the commission was thinking of introducing online registration for voters.

    He said 70 incidents of deliberate process to disrupt the rerun election were recorded.

    He said, “Once again, the overwhelming blight on the December 10, 2016 elections is the level of violence and thuggery and there were no less than 70 incidents of deliberate obstruction of the electoral process were recorded. Election duty personnel were harassed, abducted and physically assaulted. On election eve, thugs disrupted the delivery of election materials to the Registration Area Centres (RACs), a situation that prevented early deployment to the polling units on election day. Indeed, in many instances, we had to deploy directly from the local government areas to the Polling Units (PUs) contrary to our plans. “

    He vowed that all those involved in election conflicts will not go unpunished in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

    He also assured Nigerians that neither he nor the commission has ever received instructions or come under any form of intimidation from any group or individual.

    The INEC chief implored the Federal Government to consider the Justice Mohammed Uwais and Lemu Reform report for improvement of electoral process.

     

  • INEC backs Diaspora voting, urges NASS to amend constitution

    INEC backs Diaspora voting, urges NASS to amend constitution

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is in favour of Diaspora voting and will continue to work with the National Assembly towards its actualization, the Commission’s Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has said.
    He also urged the members of the Senate to help amend the constitution to actualise the dream.
    Yakubu spoke yesterday when he had an audience with members of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non – Governmental Organisations, who visited the Commission’s headquarters inAbuja on a fact-finding mission.
    Prof Yakubu noted that Nigerians living abroad like their compatriots living in the country have the right to exercise their franchise in all elections organised in the country. But for this to happen, he explained, several relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution would have to be amended. Besides, some challenges that could emerge from allowing Diaspora voting, such as funding and the modalities to be adopted,would have to be tackled.
    He said: “INEC believes that Nigerians living outside the country should be able to vote. This is because they are citizens of Nigeria, they make considerable  contributions to the economy, there is a sizeable number of them living all over the world – some have estimated that they are around 15 million – and Diaspora voting is consistent with global practice.”
    However, Prof Yakubu said under the existing law, Nigerians living abroad who have the desire to vote must return home to register when voters’ registration exercise is being conducted and also to vote during actual elections.
    To Change this position, he stated, several amendments to the constitution would have to be effected. “The first step towards making Diaspora voting possible,”he told the senators, “rests with the National Assembly.”
    He, however, assured: “INEC is committed to Diaspora voting and will continue to work with theNational Assembly on its actualization.”
    The Chairperson of the Committee, Senator Rose Okoji Oko stated that the continuous calls by Nigerians in Diaspora to be given the opportunity to exercise their franchise, and the favourable disposition of President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, former President Goodluck Jonathan among others to the idea, informed the Committee’s visit to INEC.
    According to her, the former  had endorsed the idea in 2010 during his visit to Gabon, while the currentPresident also gave his support during his recent visit to Malabo.
    The senator, who once served as National Commissioner at INEC, affirmed that a total of 115 countries, 28 of which are on the African continent, currently have provisions for Diaspora voting.
    She admitted that some Nigerians were against the idea “because of what they perceived as funding challenges, the current position of the law on the matter and some fears about the electoral system.” She was of the view that despite the various challenges facing INEC in the conduct of various elections in Nigeria, the Commission “has not continued to conduct elections.” And for those who complain about whatDiaspora voting would cost, she asked: “Is the amount so huge that we cannot afford it?”
    She said that while Nigeria did not need to copy what other countries had done, “the country needs to evolve its own unique policy.” According to her, 79 countries currently allow voting to take place at their respective foreign embassies, while 16 others allow voting by proxy.“Nigeria can look at all these different procedures and then evolve its own unique method,” she observed.
    One of such methods, she continued, is to determine if Diaspora voting could apply only to presidential or governorship election as a starting point. She insisted that it would be unfair to continue to deny Nigerians in Diaspora their right to vote, despite their enormous contributions to the country’s economy. She revealed that two – thirds of the $34 billion being projected to flow into sub-SaharaAfrica this year “will come into Nigeria.”
  • ‘INEC chair should resign over Abia tax judgment’

    ‘INEC chair should resign over Abia tax judgment’

    Former special adviser to Second Republic Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Mr Ben Onyechere, has said Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu should resign for his silence on the Commission’s role in the Abia State governorship stalemate.

    Last month, INEC issued a certificate of return to Dr. Uche Ogah as Governor of Abia State following a June 27 judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ousted Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.

    Justice Okon Abang held in that judgment that Ikpeazu submitted false information about his tax records to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the party’s governorship primaries in December 2014.

    Ogah polled the second highest number of votes in that primaries of the PDP.

    But Onyechere argued that the Commission’s ‘activities’ following the judgment had portrayed it in bad light.

    He said: “The chairman of INEC has through the activity of his subordinates in the Abia tax issue cast aspersions on the integrity of his commission as much as on himself.

    “The silence of the chairman in this matter is not golden because he cannot be exonerated from the actions of the commissioner who must have sought his consent before embarking on such a controversial mission which can be regarded as a time bomb in the state.”

    Onyechere said INEC Commissioner in charge of the South-East, Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku carried out Justice Abang’s order with “rocket speed haste,” despite “that it was served a notice of appeal prior to the issuance of a certificate to Ogah.”

    He continued: “It is not enough to gloss over the issue as the chairman seems to be doing in a matter that is adjudged to be suspicious by the public .

    “The confirmation or admittance by the commission that it was served a notice of appeal prior to the issuance of a certificate to Ogah is more than enough reason to retract it’s action and apologise to the people of Abia and their governor.”

    He urged INEC not to “hide behind the smoke screen of an order of a lower court against the superiority of appellate courts of this country.”

    Onyechere added that Prof Yakubu’s ‘action or inaction’ was suspicious.

    “There is more to the way and manner they executed Justice Abang’s order than meets the eyes of curious observers and as such he should tow the part of honour and resign,” he said.

  • Anambra: Court okays contempt proceedings against INEC Chair

    Anambra: Court okays contempt proceedings against INEC Chair

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has given the go ahead to Ejike Oguebego and Chuks Okoye – Chairman and Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra State to commence contempt proceedings against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

    Oguebego and Okoye, who are suing for themselves and on behalf of other members of the Executive Committee of the PDP, Anambra State, are accusing Mahmood of refusing to obey the December 5, 2015 judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja delivered by Justice Evoh Chukwu.

    Justice Chukwu had, in the fifth order as contained in the judge, restrained INEC, its agents, among others “from accepting or receiving any delegate list or nominated candidates that may emerge from the congresses or primaries conducted by the caretaker committee set up by the 1st defendant (PDP) for the Anambra PDP, except those that emanate from the plaintiffs.”

    Bothered by INEC’s alleged refusal to comply with the judgment, particularly the 5th order, Oguebego and Okoye initiated contempt proceedings against the INEC Chairman before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Last Friday, May 20, Justice John Tsoho (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja) granted an order ex-parte for substituted service of processes in relation to the contempt proceedings, including Form 48, on Yakubu.

    For service on the INEC boss, Justice Tsoho directed the plaintiffs to serve the court processes, including Form 48 on “an adult person, staff or official at the Legal Department of INEC at No: 436 Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, being the usual place of business of the 2nd respondent (Yakubu).

    As it affects INEC, the judge ordered the services of all processes, including Form 46, “by delivering or leaving same at the Legal Department of INEC, the commission having refused to accepr service of same from the bailiffs of this honourable court.”

    The Form 48 issued by the court’s Registrar on March 31, 2016, is a notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court.

    It states: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of the honourable court, attached to this Form (in particular, the 5th order, restraining you from acting on any list of nominated candidates for the PDP in Anambra State in respect of Legislative seats for the 2015 general election, except those that emanated from the plaintiffs), you will be guilty of contempt of court, and you will be liable to be committed to prison.

    “Take further notice that if the INEC continues to disobey this order, you, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, will be held liable for contempt of court and liable to imprisonment.”

    Justice Tsoho has adjourned further proceedings in the case to May 27.

     

  • 2019 elections: INEC to drop manual voting – Yakubu

    2019 elections: INEC to drop manual voting – Yakubu

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC may have decided to drop manual conduct of voting in 2019 general elections, it was learnt Tuesday.

    The commission, it was gathered plans to phase out manual conduct of elections in the country.

    INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu made the disclosure during a meeting with Executives of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commission SIECs who payed  him a courtesy call at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja,

    Prof. Yakubu noted that commission was working assiduously to replacing the manual process with modern technology in the conduct of local in elections.

    He said, “We can no longer continue to conduct elections manually in Nigeria, we must introduce modern technology as being done in other countries, very soon the use of technology for the conduct of local elections in the Country will be mandatory

    “It will make the process transparent and very open as it should be, the use of smart card, otherwise known as Card reader machine has come to stay, though it requires a lot of resources, we see we can do it because it adds value and more credibility the electoral process in the country, some states have been using it in the conduct of their elections, we are seeing how we can make it to go round,” he added.

    He also assured the SIECs of the Commissions collaboration during his tenure as part of efforts to deepen democracy in Nigeria. “We will continue to collaborate and cooperate with SEICs and other Organisations in improving elections management in the country,” he added.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairperson of the Forum Mrs. Gloria Ukpong who is also the Chairperson of the Akwa -Ibom State SIEC said the forum can learn from INEC chairman.

    She said, “We all had great and beautiful memory under the former Commission and we want the relationship to continue. We can learn many things from the Commission under you and take them to our states. The introduction of Card reader at the National level is a welcome development one, only Sokoto State had implemented it, it allows for more transparency. If we use the same voters Registers to conduct elections at the State levels, why can’t we come together for discussion on how we can also be using the Card readers? It requires a lot of resources which the states may not be able to bear the cost.”

     

  • INEC chairman appoints three aides

    INEC chairman appoints three aides

    The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has announced the appointment of  three aides to assist him in the discharge of his duties.

    They are: Professor Bolade Eyinla, Chief Technical Adviser (CTA); Professor Mohammed J. Kuna, Special Assistant (SA); and Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary (CPS).

    Until his appointment, Bolade Eyinla was a Professor of History at the University of Ilorin.

    He was also National Election Expert at the UNDP-DGD.

    Mohammed J. Kuna, until his appointment, was Professor of Political Sociology at the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.

    He was also Special Assistant to the former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega.

    Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi was a senior editorial staff of the Guardian.

  • I will be guided by constitution, electoral law – INEC chief

    I will be guided by constitution, electoral law – INEC chief

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday promised to be guided by the electoral act and the constitution in the discharge of his function.

    Yakubu, who spoke shortly after his inauguration by President Muhammadu Buhari, said “I am not sure that is really difficult, simply because the constitution is very clear.

    “The roles and responsibilities of INEC are very clearly spelt out and the provisions of the electoral act are also very clear.

    “Our responsibility is to ensure that in whatever we do, we are guided by the letter and spirit of the constitution. And these we are going to do with courage.

    “Whatever we need to do, we will ensure that this is done courageously and according to the law.”

    Yakubu also promised to be just to all and never to fail the expectations of Nigerians in his new roles, saying he loves hard tasks.

    “ One of my bosses used to say that the public office has tenure, a minimum of one day and a maximum of the tenure.

    “In the case of the INEC, it is a minimum of a one day and a maximum of five years. In between is the privilege to serve. We will never fail this nation.

    “We will be courageous in what we do, and we will be courageous and just to all that we are supposed to serve,’’ he added.

     

  • Buhari seeks prosecution of election offenders

    Buhari seeks prosecution of election offenders

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday called for prosecution of electoral offenders in the country.

    He made the call while swearing-in the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and five National Commissioners of INEC in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The President said it is not enough for election tribunals to just cancel or order fresh elections.

    He said: “Another area of concern is the justice administration of the election tribunals. It is long overdue that our justice system addresses these shortcomings. It is not just enough for an election to be cancelled and a new one ordered.

    “It would be much better if all whose actions or inactions led to the cancellation of such election to be investigated and if culpable prosecuted whether they are individuals as candidates or party agents, Institutions such as political party, electoral body, or public officers as electoral staff or security agents.

    “Similarly, perpetrators of electoral violence and thuggery should not be spared. Unless our system stops covering up all forms of electoral malpractices we can hardly get it right. No system endures with impunity.”

    Promising to respect the independence of the Commission, Buhari said his government will not interfere with its operations.

    The Commissioners that took oath of office on Monday included Mrs. Amina Zakari, Mr. Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, Prof. Antonia Taiye Okoosi-Simbine, Dr. Muhammed Mustafa Lecky and Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo.

    The event was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.