INEC Will Uphold High Electoral Standards, Says Yakubu

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that the commission will not alter the quality of elections just because it wanted to conclude it.

INEC will not compromise standard in order to conclude election

Yakubu’s statement is coming on the heel of criticism that had trailed the gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states which were declared inconclusive.

The INEC boss promised stakeholders in the electoral process that the apex electoral body was committed to ensuring elections met international best practices, This Day reports.

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Yakubu vowed that the commission will not hesitate to cancel elections whenever there are threats to the lives of its officials.

He said: “No electoral body will like to go through a repeat of one election or the other.  We will like to conclude all the elections on first ballot. Our principal responsibility is to conduct credible elections, not just elections by any means. We have to conclude elections according to the laws.”

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“Where there are threats to the lives of our officials, we wouldn’t mind applying the law that states that where that is feasible and it has made it impossible for elections to hold, we should cancel the election and re-run same another day. And that was the decision we took. We believe that our principal responsibility as a Commission is to protect the lives of our staff, ad hoc or permanent and also the election material.”

Ahead of the January 9 supplementary election in Bayelsa state, the state governor, Seriake Dickson had asked the INEC to declare him winner of the December 5 poll.

Dickson said having won six out of the seven local government areas declared by INEC, he should be declared the winner of the election and not the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Chief Timpre Sylva.

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