• Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Email
Sunday, June 1, 2025
  • Login
TheMattersPress
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Thematterspress
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Photo
    • Video
  • About us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Thematterspress
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Photo
    • Video
  • About us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
TheMattersPress
No Result
View All Result
Home News

INEC insists on free, fair elections

The Matters Press by The Matters Press
February 8, 2019
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
79 candidates for presidential election

INEC

INEC

Countdown to the presidential election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has insisted that it would conduct free, fair and credible polls.

RELATED POSTS

Senate’s stance on Nigeria’s Legislature-Executive Relationship, thrilling

Tinubu explains mission as he marks second year in office

Increasing oil rigs, a big score for Nigeria’s petroleum sector reforms

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the assurance at an interactive meeting with the members of the Administrative Board of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said that the meeting was part of the nationwide consultation with stakeholders on the Commission’s readiness for the general elections,

The presidential election would hold on February 16.

Yakubu said that the Commission was determined to improve on the gains recorded in the 2015 general elections, just as he affirmed that only the votes cast by citizens would determine the eventual winners at the polls.

Responding to questions, he debunked some media reports making the rounds about the alleged centralisation of the recruitment of Collation and Returning Officers for the elections.

He said there was no basis for the allegation in the first place, since Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) had never handled the recruitment of such officers.

He said that INEC took a decision in 2011 not to recruit Collation and Returning Officers from among its staff, but from senior lecturers and professorial cadre, in order to protect the sanctity of the electoral process.

“This is what the Commission has done consistently. The Chairman of the Commission handles this responsibility. He liaises with Vice-Chancellors under specific criteria.

“The Vice-Chancellors submit names directly to the INEC Chairman, the submitted names are further vetted, before we finally engage and post them to the states.

” It is after we have finished with the process of engagement that we liaise with the RECs, who then assign the Collation and Returning Officers to local government areas and constituencies where they are going to work.

“There was a reason why the Commission took that decision. There was a time in the past when, particularly in the recruitment of Collation Officers and most especially the Returning Officers, some people pandered to the wishes of politicians.

“The Commission then decided to centralise it and involve not only the universities, but also the Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU).”

He explained that since 2015, INEC had conducted elections into 195 constituencies and not on one occasion did the headquarters ask the RECs to recruit Collation or Returning Officers.

According to him, this is what the Commission has been doing since 2011. I was surprised when I read the report.

On another allegation that the National Register of Voters contains names of under-age or ineligible persons, Yakubu said that while the current Register was, indeed, not perfect, “it is the largest and most current database of Nigerians with photographs and full biometrics.”

The INEC Chairman observed that each of the registered political parties got a copy of the Voters’ Register since 2011 and none of them had ever complained of the prevalence of under-age voters in the Register.

He also argued that the responsibility of cleaning the Voters’ Register was not that of INEC’s alone.

He said while the law requires the Commission to paste the Register at each polling unit nationwide before the general election for claims and objections, Nigerians and political parties also owe it a duty to draw the Commission’s attention to the names of ineligible persons for rectification.

On the National Collation Centre, Yakubu explained there is difference between the actual collation of the 2019 general elections results and the ad hoc committee established to put the Collation Centre in place.

He likened the Centre to an ordinary Event Centre that would house the Situation Room among others, for which the constituted ad hoc committee had been saddled with the responsibility to putting all the structures and amenities it needed to function effectively in place.

“Since the perception is that we might be up to something, which is why (according to the narratives), the Commission is unwilling to open up the place, we have decided to open up the situation room. We will give visitation rights.

“The Chairman of INEC is the Chief Returning Officer for the Presidential Election and I am not going to share that responsibility with anyone,” he said.

Tags: INEC
ShareTweetPin
The Matters Press

The Matters Press

Related Posts

Senate probes $3.5b with NNPC
Economy/Technology

Senate’s stance on Nigeria’s Legislature-Executive Relationship, thrilling

May 30, 2025
Nigerians to own brand new vehicles, goods through new credit scheme initiative
Economy/Technology

Tinubu explains mission as he marks second year in office

May 29, 2025
Chevron, NNPC secure $1.4bn for drilling project
Economy/Technology

Increasing oil rigs, a big score for Nigeria’s petroleum sector reforms

May 26, 2025
Group hails Presidential Council initiative, welcomes President Tinubu’s N2tn stabilisation package
Economy/Technology

Pope’s invitation to Tinubu reflects Nigeria’s relevance in global affairs -TMSG

May 24, 2025
Tinubu steering Nigeria away from Venezuela-like tragedy – IMPI
Economy/Technology

Tinubu espouses Nigeria’s unity, diversity at Pope Leo’s inauguration

May 22, 2025
Eulogising Africa’s efforts in midwifing a Covid-19 vaccine
Economy/Technology

Nigeria’s ongoing health reform gets global endorsement with Pate’s honour by Time Magazine

May 21, 2025
Next Post
Nigeria mulls crude-for-product deal

Gas pipeline to be completed in 2019

Africa’s remittance inflows hit $72b

Nigeria approves US$1bn of promissory note

Recommended Stories

Covid-19 causes GDP’s contraction

Nigeria adopts new automotive industry development plan

May 12, 2023
2023 maritime, shipping outlook force experts to call for aid

2023 maritime, shipping outlook force experts to call for aid

February 10, 2023
Stable petrol supply excites Buhari

Reasons for Petrol scarcity

February 4, 2023

Popular Stories

  • Rising prices of goods cause protests in Morocco

    Rising prices of goods cause protests in Morocco

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NLNG not responsible for gas supply shortfall, price hike

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NCC sets fresh operational fees, spectrum prices for telecom operators

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Hoarding causes hike in prices of grains

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Prices of Petrol, diesel increase in November

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
TheMattersPress

We bring you the best news update in Nigeria

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • Senate’s stance on Nigeria’s Legislature-Executive Relationship, thrilling
  • Tinubu explains mission as he marks second year in office
  • Increasing oil rigs, a big score for Nigeria’s petroleum sector reforms

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Economy/Technology
  • Energy
  • Entertainment/sports
  • Features
  • Foreign
  • Multimedia
  • Natural Resources
  • News
  • Oil and Gas
  • Photo
  • Politics
  • Security
  • Thematterspress
  • Uncategorized
  • Video

© 2025 Domo Tech World - Powered by Thematterspress.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Thematterspress
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Photo
    • Video
  • About us
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Domo Tech World - Powered by Thematterspress.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Call Us