INEC proposes 142 recommendations to improve the electoral process

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission has made 142 recommendations to improve the future electoral process.

Mr Yakubu said this at the opening of a two-day induction retreat for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Monday in Lagos.

He said the commission had published the report of the review of the 2023 elections, adding that it was already available on its website.

“But then there is also the outcome of the withdrawals and engagements with stakeholders, which is being published right now.

“I can tell you that the commission has made 142 recommendations to improve the electoral process in Nigeria.

“As soon as the report is ready, we will make it public and engage with Nigerians on these reforms.

“The reforms are categorized; most will be implemented through administrative action by INEC, but some will be implemented by security agencies.

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“We have those that require a modification of the electoral legal frameworks by the National Assembly. Some must be implemented by political parties and other stakeholders.

“Nigerians should be patient; as soon as we conclude the process, we will share this report with Nigerians,” Yakubu said.

According to him, there are no longer electoral sessions in Nigeria because the commission conducts elections throughout the year.

He said since the inauguration of the National and State Assembly in 2023, INEC had conducted nine by-elections and was yet to conduct five by-elections before the 2027 general elections.

Stating that the FCT area council elections would also be held in 2026, Yakubu said there was no further respite for the commission.

“As we innovate, we reflect, review and implement,” he said.

On the upcoming Edo governorship election, the chairman noted that the flood that hit the state recently affected over 4,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines in the commission’s office.

However, he said the commission was able to recover no fewer than 3,500 machines.

The INEC chairman said the machines in the state would not be sufficient for the elections and that the commission would ask for additional support from neighboring states.

At the retreat, Mr Yakubu said it was not just about the induction of new appointees, but an opportunity to review performance, re-evaluate processes, discuss innovations and engage service providers.

He said it was also an opportunity to engage with policymakers on critical areas of reform and explore new frontiers “in our continued effort to improve organizational capacity for better service delivery.”

“In March 2022, we held an induction retreat for new national commissioners, followed by another on electoral logistics in October and then another retreat for new RECs in November.

“The most recent withdrawal was made in August last year for the review of the 2023 General Elections.

“Today we are holding another retreat to induct ten new RECs – nine of whom were sworn in on 12 December 2023 and one of whom was sworn in on 30 January 2024,” Yakubu said.

He said that within weeks of being sworn in, many of the new RECs were forced to hold repeat elections in some localities in some constituencies or by-elections in entire constituencies.

According to him, INEC will hold four major elections before 2027, including the Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.

“Therefore, while we think, reflect and innovate for credible elections, we are also instantly implementing the reforms and innovations that we can introduce through administrative actions.

“Given that the election is a process governed by law, we also plan to intensify our engagement with the National Assembly for activities that require legal reform,” he said.

The chairperson tasked the new RECs with focusing on how to become more familiar with the commission’s processes and procedures.

He urged the existing RECs to leverage their privileged field experience to mitigate recurring challenges in the areas of pre- and post-election litigation and operational issues.

He said that this experience should be applied in the area of ​​logistics, improvements in voter education processes, strategic communication issues and combating fake news, misinformation and disinformation, as well as inclusion in the electoral process.

Yakubu said the experience should also cover voter registration, allocation of voters to polling units and the role of technology from pre-election activities to election day processes.

He also urged the RECs to assist in political party issues arising primarily from the leadership crisis and management of party primaries, recruitment and training of election officials, election security and our own code of conduct.

The INEC Chairman asked them to keep in mind that the main objective of the retreat was to improve service delivery.

“I urge you to listen carefully to the presentations and, most importantly, to contribute to the discussions in a solution-oriented manner,” he said.

Mr. Yakubu expressed the Commission’s gratitude to Development Associates Inc. (DAI) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) for supporting the retreat and many other activities of the Commission.

“The presence and messages of goodwill from DAI Team Leader, Rudolf Elbling and IFES National Director, Seray Jay, is a further affirmation of their commitment to a transparent and inclusive electoral process in Nigeria.

“We want to assure you that INEC remains committed to these ideals, just as we are determined to continue pushing the boundaries of credible and inclusive elections in Nigeria,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, Ayobami Salami, REC of INEC Lagos State, described the retreat as important and timely, saying the platform would improve electoral management in the country and inspire new ideas.

Mr. Salami, a professor, said global electoral activities remain big tasks that require righteousness, integrity and diligence.

Salami urged participants to take the withdrawal seriously and said that in the end, RECs should be able to deliver a transparent, credible and acceptable electoral process free from bias and partisanship.

In his comment, Seray Jah, IFES National Director, applauded INEC for appointing experienced former officials as RECs, saying the move would greatly facilitate electoral administration.

Mr Jah said IFES had been collaborating with INEC over the years by providing technical support in the area of ​​capacity development, training and other areas.

According to him, elections around the world are difficult tasks, but there is no other country where elections are much more difficult than Nigeria.

“We affirm our continued support to advance the aspirations of this commission,” Jah said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the retreat was attended by RECs from all the 36 states of the federation, directors and other administrative staff of the commission.

(YAYA)