By Chimezie Godfrey
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has assured that the Commission would recover from recent attacks on its offices and facilities.
Yakubu also assured that they are confident of the level preparations that the Commission has made towards the success of the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
The INEC Chairman gave these assurances during a meeting with the Africa Elders’ Forum held on Monday in Abuja.
He said,””Our preparations are approaching concluding stages. We are conducting the 2023 General Election with a new Electoral Act and several innovations in voter accreditation and result management. We are confident in our processes but we will not be complacent. Responsibilities within our control are handled diligently.
“However, there are a few areas of concern, the main one being the prevailing insecurity in the country. In less than two weeks, three of our Local Government offices were attacked across the country, bringing the total number of such attacks to seven in the last four months. While we want to reassure Nigerians that we will recover from these attacks, and the election will proceed as scheduled, we would like to appeal to all citizens to see the Commission’s facilities as national asset. It is our collective responsibility to join hands in protecting them. The attacks must stop and the perpetrators swiftly apprehended and prosecuted.
“We look forward to hearing from our elders. We believe that your words of wisdom will be beneficial to our work.”
Yakubu who earlier welcomed the former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma,
the former Vice President of Gambia, Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, and other members of the delegation of the Forum, noted that their visit was a source of encouragement to the Commission and a clear indication of the importance of Nigeria’s forthcoming elections to the West Africa sub-region and beyond.
“We are fortunate in our sub-region to have respected former leaders who remain in the forefront of the advocacy for good governance anchored on credible and transparent elections. The fact that you have won democratic elections and in turn handed over power democratically at the end of their tenure is worthy of appreciation and commendation. That is why today, your voice is respected globally by the sheer force of personal example you set rather than any statutory authority.
“On this note, I must add that with respected leaders of the region coming together as elders for credible elections, I am confident that there will be less of mediation in conflict situations and more of election observation missions in peacetime. Apart from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa are also holding their General Elections in 2023. Clearly, your work is cut out for you,” Yakubu said.
