As Mahmood Yakubu Turns The Next Page

Conducting elections successful Nigeria, with its geopolitical diversities and taste peculiarities, is not a occupation for anyone seeking applause. It is similar the proverbial devil’s alternative—any determination taken astatine immoderate clip volition impact someone’s involvement for bully oregon bad. In specified a situation, relying connected one’s conscience and the tendency to bash what is close careless of who gets wounded becomes paramount.

With this successful mind, it is lone earthy that the president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indispensable beryllium idiosyncratic with a heavy tegument acceptable to instrumentality cookware shots with stoic equanimity and a caput that focuses connected the greater bully for the greater number.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu was appointed president of INEC to win Professor Muhammadu Jega, who near bureau successful a flurry of goodwill aft having conducted an predetermination successful which the absorption won and the incumbent accepted defeat. Yakubu assumed office, determined to physique connected this internationally acknowledged achievement, desirous of making his ain contributions to the nation’s antiauthoritarian experiment.

His take-off constituent was successful technological Innovation. He introduced automation initiatives, the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, and biometric verification to amended the electoral process and reforms to heighten the credibility and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral process.

The purpose was to reconstruct religion successful the strategy and promote higher elector turnout. To many, the BVAS strategy and the IReV deployment represented a important leap towards enabling voters to way results successful existent time. This was portion of his imaginativeness to make a strategy that would empower citizens to support the sanctity of their votes.

Within this context, helium engaged with the National Assembly connected cardinal electoral reforms, including law and Electoral Act amendments. Under his watch, the Electoral Commission made forays into civic engagement, which has accrued national information and strategical leadership, demonstrating competence and integrity. One illustration of this was his propulsion for a broad reappraisal of predetermination outcomes to code discrepancies and mistrust.

Yakubu made efforts to guarantee electoral security, trim violence, and heighten the credibility of elections. His committedness to antiauthoritarian governance, electoral integrity, and organization betterment undoubtedly consolidated the commission’s zeal to amended the antiauthoritarian process successful the country. His willingness to physique statement astir indispensable reforms reinforced his committedness to ensuring that aboriginal elections are conducted with greater integrity.

As helium prepares to exit the office, Yakubu leaves a bequest that volition basal the trial of time, specified arsenic gathering organization representation for aboriginal Commissions. These see respective reports, presumption papers, and argumentation papers. Most importantly, helium established the archetypal Election Museum successful the state to sphere the affluent but checkered past of electoral absorption successful Nigeria.

To this end, the Commission upgraded the Direct Data Capture Machines (DDCMs) to a much businesslike and portable INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), arsenic good arsenic the deployment of a two-way Advanced Biometric Identification System (ABIS)

The Commission has been operating from a impermanent bureau with its ain administrative and logistical absorption constraints. After galore years of challenges with bureau accommodation, the Commission office volition soon person a caller seven-storey gathering other the contiguous determination connected Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, Abuja. This is simply a large milestone for the Commission.

We callback that arsenic of 2015, lone a fewer INEC authorities offices had ample halls for collating predetermination results, which were done successful hotels oregon lawsuit centres. Today, each INEC State and FCT offices person ample halls wrong their premises for collating and declaring predetermination results, presenting Certificates of Return, and holding meetings.

Significantly, the committee is boldly creating a part connected Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the archetypal clip successful Africa. Yakubu took the pb successful adopting AI successful predetermination absorption by creating a part connected AI successful the commission’s accusation and exertion division.

However, immoderate critics reason that Yakubu’s tenure has been marred by controversy. That is expected successful the discourse of the Nigerian system, wherever nary 1 believes that predetermination is similar a crippled successful which 1 could triumph oregon lose. The 2019 wide elections, successful particular, were alleged to beryllium fraught with electoral malpractice, violence, and logistical issues. The 2023 wide elections besides suffered the aforesaid destiny from immoderate prime groups.

Overall, however, the elections were fair, arsenic they recorded galore affirmative outcomes.

The INEC brag emphasised the value of continuous improvement, convening meetings with stakeholders — including governmental parties, civilian nine organisations, the media, and...