Elections: INEC enhances electoral process ahead 2019

By Lanre Adesanya

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has hinted that the commission is resolved to beef up the electoral system ahead of 2019 elections.

Yakubu made the disclosure at the opening session of a special workshop organized to review the implementation of the commission’s strategic plan for 2012-2016.

He stressed that the workshop had become imperative as part of the commission’s strategic plan towards a successful 2019 General Elections and beyond.

He highlighted the need to reflect on the constitutional and legally-defined responsibilities of the commission as well as analyzing the legal and procedural framework for election management in Nigeria.

According to him, this includes the standards principle, processes and regulations for election management in the country.

“The objective of this workshop is to retrospect and project, in a two-day period, and to come up with better ideas and solutions.

“We need to re-strategize for the 2019 General Election and beyond to come up with practical solutions on how to strengthen the electoral process.

“And this we will do based on the policies of fairness, transparency, credibility, and impartiality,” the INEC boss said.

The professor, who also reacted to the issue of misdemeanor on the part of some INEC officials, stated that no such unprofessional conduct would go unpunished when brought to the attention of the commission.

He said that the commission had administrative processes already in place to tackle all unprofessional conducts by any official.

The INEC boss added that over 102 cases of arrest made by the police during the Rivers re-run, Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections were currently in court.

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Yakubu said that 62 of the arrest had been prosecuted with varying degree of sentences.

Meanwhile, Mr Shalva Kipshidze, the Country Director, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) said, “The success of every institution is characterised by the institutions’ willingness to plan.

“As we all know, the relevant nature of a strategic plan cannot be over emphasized as strategic planning is important to an organisation because it provides a sense of direction and outlines measurable goals.”

Kipshidze also used the opportunity to congratulate newly appointed national commissioners of the commission.

He prayed the commissioners carry out their various responsibilities to ensure INEC achieves its mandate credibly.

The two-day retreat, holding at the Intercontinental Hotel, VI, Lagos had all commission’s national commissioners, Residents Electoral Commissioners and directors in attendance.