• To allow observers, media access to situation room
• Raises the alarm over looming violence
As
part of it efforts to ensure transparency and build confidence in the
February 16 presidential election, the Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has
vowed to solely man the result collation centre, stressing that he will
not share his constitutional responsibility as the chairman of the
collation secretariat with anybody.
The INEC boss was also
said to have raised the alarm over what he described as the increasing
violence tendencies by politicians and youths who could be used by
politicians to carry out nefarious activities, saying that the elections
might be disrupted if the security agencies refuse or fail to carry out
their jobs, in line with INEC’s specifications.
This is
coming as the electoral body has also decided to allow members of the
accredited civil society groups, local/international election observers
and the media access to its Situation Room.
The Situation Room is
a centre where all results from all states for the presidential
election are counted and collated before they are finally announced.
The
room is unique to INEC; it is its internal control mechanism and the
core activity of the commission, which is not usually open to outsiders.
THISDAY
also gathered from a senior INEC’s official that Yakubu, has vowed not
to share his constitutional responsibility as the chairman of the
results collation secretariat with anybody.
“We have decided to
open up the Situation Room for members of the civil society groups,
party’s members, local/international election observers and the media.
But they would have to be accredited. The greatest thing for us is that
the process is opened,” the senior INEC officer stated.
There has
been pressure on INEC to grant international and local observers access
to its situation room during the elections, especially with President
Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment
Bill. It was canvassed that it would make the election transparent and
makes the result they will declare believable.
The INEC officer
also urged Nigerians and the international community not to entertain
any fear about the integrity by the electoral body to conduct credible
election, saying that the commission had over the years, built huge
capacity to conduct credible elections.
He, however, said that INEC has its own limitations, adding that “we can only do what we can do.’’
According
to him, Yakubu is concerned that with the increasing violence
tendencies by politicians and the number of youths who could be used by
politicians to carry out nefarious activities, the elections might be
disrupted if the security agencies refuse or fail to carry out their
jobs, in line with INEC’s specifications.
“If we have violence,
many elections could be declared inconclusive; that is my fear. For now,
it is a big issue for all of us. Many of the registered voters are
young people; they don’t have patience on the day of election. And they
can easily be used by politicians to disrupt the election’’, the INEC
senior officer added.
He also revealed that the commission had
virtually finished its recruitment of ad-hoc staff for the elections,
with majority of the recruited presiding officers coming from the
National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) members, adding that in states
where they don’t have enough corps members, some final year students
were recruited from the federal institutions – universities and
polytechnics.
As for the Collation/Returning Officers, he
revealed that those recruited were of professorial grade from federal
universities, who were carefully selected in conjunction with the
Vice-Chancellors of the universities they operate from.
The INEC
officer, who also expressed serious concern over contradicting court
orders from courts for equal jurisdiction, said that INEC had been
dragged to court for over 619 times since the process started.
He warned that there can never be true democracy without democrats, advising all stakeholders to play by the rules.
We Are Yet to Receive Court Judgments on Zamfara APC
In
another development, INEC has revealed that it has not been served any
of the two conflicting court rulings issued last Friday on whether or
not it could accept the list of candidates for presented by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) for Zamfara State in the forthcoming
general election.
A High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State,
presided over by Justice Muhammad Shinkafi in suit No: ZMS/GS/52/2018,
had ruled that the ruling APC actually conducted primaries in the state
and should be allowed to present candidates for electoral contest.
However,
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial
Division in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1279/2018 dismissed the case of the APC
and ruled that INEC acted within its powers by refusing to accept the
list of candidates from the Zamfara State chapter of the APC.
INEC
had last October said it would not allow the APC to field candidates in
Zamfara State because the party failed to conduct primaries before the
deadline stipulated.
Some members of APC in the state had approached the court challenging the decision of INEC.
The
party said it conducted primaries which produced current governor,
Abdulaziz Yari as a senatorial candidate and his Commissioner of
Finance, Shehu Idris, as the governorship candidate, among others.
Justice Shinkafi, who delivered the ruling said APC had conducted primary elections on October 3 and 7, 2018.
The
Zamfara court specifically directed INEC to accept candidates from the
party for Zamfara States in the forthcoming elections.
The court
also barred the national secretariat of the APC from replacing the names
of those who won the primary elections of the party.
But Justice
Ojukwu, in her judgment, said it was not the fault of INEC that the APC
failed to conduct a valid primary within the period scheduled by the
electoral body.
The judge said INEC’s action was intended to curb
impunity among political parties and politicians and ensure that rule
of law is adhered to.
Justice Ijeoma contended that the APC failed to conduct a valid primary within the period scheduled by the electoral body.
She said such action from INEC was good for democracy, saying it would instill discipline in political parties.
The
judge noted that if consensus candidates are to emerge, there are laid
down rules, the constitution of a party, which must be adhered to
strictly. INEC National Commissioner and chairman Voter Education and
Information, Festus Okoye, told THISDAY that the electoral body has not
received a copy of the judgment delivered by the High Court in Gusau and
the one delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He stated:
“The commission notes that the Gusau High Court in Zamfara State and
the Federal High Court in Abuja are courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
“INEC has not received Certified True Copies of the two judgments as well as the enrolled court orders.
“As
soon as the commission receives the two judgments and enrolled court
orders, the commission will carefully and meticulously study both
judgments for proper understanding of the issues that were canvassed
before both courts and the issues formulated for determination as well
as the “ratio” that informed both judgments.
“In taking a
decision, the commission will also be guided by the specific orders made
by the courts and or the reasons for the dismissal of one of the
suits.” “As soon as the commission concludes its analysis and study of
the judgments and orders of both courts, it will take a position that
accords with the law and the constitution and inform the parties and the
Nigeria people accordingly,” he said
Source:- Thisdaylive
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