How litigations, violence, logistics failures haunted INEC for a decade – Yakubu

By Omeiza Ajayi

Abuja: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted that the decade, 2015 to 2025, was marred by relentless crises that threatened the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process, contempt reforms and innovations introduced during the period.

In its caller publication, Election Management successful Nigeria: 2015–2025, contiguous past INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, successful the foreword, painted a sobering representation of however recurring setbacks – from pre-election litigations and conflicting tribunal rulings to convulsive attacks connected INEC facilities and unit – consistently undermined the creaseless behaviour of polls.

Yakubu noted that the committee was dragged into thousands of tribunal cases, often receiving contradictory orders from courts of concurrent jurisdiction. These, helium said, created ineligible disorder and disrupted preparations for elections.

He besides cited the menace of ballot trading, persistent logistical breakdowns that forced nationwide postponements, and targeted unit against predetermination officials arsenic immoderate of the astir destabilising problems.

“The 2015–2025 decennary was not without its challenges. Conflicting tribunal orders, unit targeted astatine our unit and facilities, the scourge of ballot trading, and persistent logistics bottlenecks continued to trial the credibility and creaseless behaviour of elections,” said Yakubu.

Beyond quality and ineligible hurdles, method failures besides dogged INEC’s operations. Equipment breakdowns and web collapses sometimes crippled accreditation and delayed transmission of results, raising nationalist doubts astir the reliability of the system.

While the committee introduced reforms specified arsenic deploying the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), and the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal, Yakubu acknowledged that exertion unsocial could not insulate elections from profoundly rooted challenges.

He said INEC was besides compelled to intensify elector education, collaborate much intimately with information agencies, and grow inclusivity measures for susceptible groups.

Yakubu warned that the aboriginal of predetermination absorption successful Nigeria remains fraught with uncertainties, stressing that it is lone by confronting these persistent failures head-on, portion consolidating gains from reforms, that INEC tin anticipation to present credible elections.

He said: “The committee indispensable afloat clasp some successes and failures. We indispensable intensify assurance and trust-building measures, grow inclusivity, and stay proactive successful addressing imaginable threats to our elections.”

The 200-page book, illustrated with photographs and infographics, offers an unflinching relationship of however Nigeria’s elections successful the past decennary were repeatedly shaken by systemic flaws and crises that garbage to spell away.

It details respective improvements, particularly successful the usage of exertion to enactment elections, noting that elections cannot beryllium technology-driven but tin lone beryllium supported by technology.

The station How litigations, violence, logistics failures haunted INEC for a decennary – Yakubu appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.