Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the spate of inconclusive elections conducted under his tenure is a reflection of the competitiveness of the polls, stressing that elections are getting better.
He also added that the use of card readers and smart cards for elections have come to stay in spite of the regrettable glitches experienced during its use.
Moreover, he stressed that the process of declaration of winners of election as in the electoral guidelines will never be compromised.
The Kogi and Bayelsa State governorship elections conducted by Yakubu were declared inconclusive after the first ballot. While the polls in Kogi were concluded, INEC is yet to fix a date for the supplementary polls in Bayelsa State.
Yakubu said in his opening remarks at the 11th public lecture of The Electoral Institute (TEI) titled, “Between refuge and rights: internally displaced persons (IDPs) and inclusive electoral process in Nigeria,” held in Abuja.
The INEC chairman while speaking on the inconclusiveness of the last two elections on first ballot said, “The truth is that our elections are getting better, they are also becoming competitive. By the same token, citizens are now more confident that the votes really count. INEC will continue to ensure that the credibility of our elections remain sacrosanct. Acts of thuggery, ballot box snatching, willful violation of guidelines and deliberate acts to void the card reader will always attract sanctions.”
Yakubu underscored that in one of the states where governorship election was recently conducted, precisely in 2012, the margin between the winner and the runner-up was 417,000 votes. “But today, the margin is 33,000 votes, which indicates that the election is getting better, more competitive.”
While he noted that the commission under his watch has conducted four elections including two state assembly elections in Plateau and Katsina states, he stressed that “we are satisfied with the processes and procedures as well as the conduct of the elections. We have no major problem with deployment of logistics and personnel for the elections.
“However, I must admit that we have recorded some glitches in the operation and configuration of the smart card readers with particular respect to the biometric authentication of voters. Although the reported cases are not substantial enough to mar the elections, we are determined to ensure that we address these challenges in gutted elections at whatever level it may occur, be it at the level of technology or staff training and handling of equipment by electoral officials.
“We welcome suggestions from Nigerians at large in this regard bearing in mind that the smart card reader is still a technology in its pioneering stage in our electioneering stage but has already revolutionized our electoral process.
“We have already received reports from Bayelsa that some people are saying they can’t vote without the card readers. It is part of the process that has revolutionised our elections and it has come to stay. And whatever we will do to make it better, we will do so.”
He further stressed that the process of declaration of winners of election as contained in the election guidelines will never be compromised.
“At the same time, the threshold for the emergence of winners of elections as contained in our guidelines will never be compromised. While the threshold is not met, we will apply the provision of the guidelines as have been applied in the past.”
He added that the inconclusive elections are not without precedence adding that INEC has in the past declared elections inconclusive to ensure credibility of the process.
He recalled that elections were in the past declared inconclusive in Taraba, Imo, Anambra and other states.
He however noted that the issue of internally displaced persons was critical to the democratic state of the country.
On his part, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, who chaired the occasion, hailed the progress made by INEC over the course of three elections.
He noted that while in 2007, 86.1 percent of the elections were decided by the judiciary, in 2011, it reduced to 51 percent and later 40 percent in 2015.
He expressed confidence that INEC under the new chairman will continue in the culture of progress instituted by Prof. Attahiru Jega.
He, however, underscored the essence of the public lecture on internally displaced persons, stressing that there is need for all the stakeholders involved, including National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and National Population Commission (NPC) to have a synergy to achieve better results over the issue.
However, a mild drama ensued on the premises of the lecture as chairman of Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) Peter Ameh, confronted the INEC chairman for not according him recognition as chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
Ahmed, who accosted Yakubu outside the hall of the event as he was heading for another meeting, accused the INEC chairman of being unfair in recognizing the chairman of Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, as IPAC chairman, who was introduced at the event as IPAC chairman.
Yakubu, however, appealed to Ameh and his team for calm, noting that a meeting would be fixed to address the matter.
However, shortly afterwards, Ibrahim was formally invited to the high table, a move which signified his recognition as chairman of IPAC.
In fact, President Muhammadu Buhari, recently met with IPAC leadership under Ibrahim at the Presidential Villa.
-Leadership
