Why I decided to bow out of INEC – Yakubu

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has said that his determination to bow retired of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was to pave mode for the assignment of a caller chairman.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yakubu had, connected Tuesday, stepped down and handed implicit to a nationalist commissioner, Ms May Agbamuche-Mbu, arsenic acting Chairman of the commission.

NAN besides reports that the little handover ceremonial took spot during the commission’s regular consultative gathering with Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) astatine the INEC office successful Abuja.

Yakubu said that his bowing retired would besides alteration the idiosyncratic taking implicit to rapidly settee down to the task of conducting elections and electoral activities.

He said that helium knew the enormity of the challenges ahead, having been privileged to service the committee for 10 years, with lone a fewer much weeks remaining for him to serve.

“I person taken a determination and conveyed the aforesaid arsenic provided by Section 36, Subsections 1 and 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, arsenic amended.

“In the interim, I americium handing implicit to 1 of the astir elder nationalist commissioners by day of appointment.

“Following consultation with different nationalist commissioners, Ms May Agbamuchembu volition service successful acting capableness pending the assignment of a substantive president of the commission.

“I anticipation that this volition spend the appointing authorities capable clip to name a caller chairman.

“It volition besides alteration the caller president to rapidly settee down to the task of conducting elections and electoral activities successful Africa’s astir demographically and logistically analyzable environment,’’ helium said.

Yakubu expressed appreciation to members of the committee and RECs for the fantabulous moving relations they shared.

He noted that since 2015, helium had worked with 24 nationalist commissioners and 67 RECs.

He said that helium would everlastingly cherish the enactment of successive secretaries and unit of INEC nationwide.

“Together, we innovated and managed the commission’s tremendous responsibilities, sometimes connected the verge of breaking down,’’ helium recalled.

Yakubu besides appreciated the enactment of the National Assembly, governmental parties, the National Peace Committee, civilian society, the media, the labour unions, information agencies, National Youth Service Corps and different stakeholders.

“Above all, I convey Nigerians for their comments arsenic good arsenic criticisms which encouraged alternatively than discouraged america to persevere,’’ helium said.

He noted that implicit the years, INEC, nether his watch, achieved a batch successful responding to challenges and introducing galore innovations.

Yakubu added that the committee besides consolidated the biometric registry of voters and replaced galore of INEC’s manual processes with integer platforms and applications.

These, according to him, see the information of candidates, submission of polling and collation agents by governmental parties, accreditation of nationalist and planetary observers, and the media for elections, elector accreditation and effect management.

He added that with the enactment of improvement partners, INEC had introduced assorted technologies to amended divers aspects of predetermination management, specified arsenic the casual determination of predetermination facilities.

Others were absorption of collation and returning officers, virtual grooming of electoral staff, absorption of governmental parties’ finances and audits arsenic good arsenic the wide monitoring of elections utilizing our Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC).

Yakubu said portion tremendous advancement was made nether him, a batch much inactive needed to beryllium done.

He stated that the committee was already preparing for Anambra governorship predetermination holding successful November and the FCT Area Council predetermination arsenic good arsenic Ekiti and Osun governorship elections successful 2026.

He said that successful summation to those off-cycle elections, INEC already commenced preparations for immoderate of the large activities for the 2027 wide elections, portion awaiting the enactment of a caller Electoral Act.

“The measure is presently earlier the National Assembly. It is expected that electoral reforms contained successful the caller enactment volition necessitate further reappraisal of our regulations and guidelines, arsenic we...