This was as he said the forthcoming governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will be expectedly more demanding than the presidential poll and urged the security agencies to be on guard.

The INEC boss spoke at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in Abuja on Tuesday.

Yakubu advised political parties to caution their supporters, stressing that the March 18 governorship  and state Assembly elections are a contest and not war.

He said INEC was looking forward to receiving electoral offenders’ case files as promised by the Inspector-General of Police.

Yakubu said, “The governorship and state Assembly elections this weekend involve more constituencies than the national elections held about three weeks ago. Unlike the last elections involving 470 constituencies (one presidential, 109 senatorial districts and 360 House of Representatives seats), the state elections will involve 1,021 constituencies (28 governorship and 993 state Assembly seats). There will also be more candidates involved and more collation centres to protect. There are also local elections involving keen contests.

“It is, therefore, important for parties and candidates to speak to their agents and supporters to see the elections as a contest and not war. They should refrain from acts of violence that may mar the elections or compromise the security of our personnel, observers, the media and service providers.

The commission is encouraged by the directive to state commands by the Inspector-General of Police to handle all cases of electoral offences expeditiously. We look forward to receiving the case files. We will immediately set up a legal team to handle such cases in earnest.”

On his part, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, described Saturday’s polls as complicated but gave the assurance that security agencies would ensure peace.

Monguno said a lot of meetings had been going on, especially with the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police, to ensure peaceful polls.

He said, “Of course, the elections on Saturday are going to be much more complicated, and contextually different. First of all, we are going to have 1,021 constituencies, which means more people are interested, and more people will vote. Obviously, the dynamics would be much more different than the elections that were just concluded.

“For the security agencies, I know a lot has been done. I have been talking with the Chief of Defence Staff, and with the Inspector-General of Police, who is the head of the lead agency in the process of elections. So far, so good, we do not envisage anything that is going to be terrible or apocalyptic in the next few days. But that does not mean that we should all do away with our state of readiness. We must comply with the rules. We must also allow everyone to exercise their fundamental rights as citizens of this country.”

The NSA urged political parties and candidates to demonstrate high level of discipline and maturity during and after the polls, advising them to caution their supporters.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this when he led the commission’s management team on an on-the-spot assessment on the level of preparedness visit to the INEC FCT Office in Abuja.

He informed the staff that the commission would raise the bar of credibility in the conduct of the election.

Yakubu said, “We have done everything that we are supposed to do in terms of preparations, what remains is for me to hear from you and to assure the voters in the FCT that we have set the standard for conducting credible elections in Nigeria. The FCT Area Council elections 2022 will not lower the bar. If anything, you will see enhanced conduct of credible elections in the Federal Capital.”

While stating that the election was just 16 days away, Yakubu explained that there would be a series of activities going forward.

“This is just the first, next we will go down to the Wards, and we will visit the Wards and engage with the EOs and their staff on the actual preparation on ground,” he said.

Yakubu said that the sensitive materials for the elections would be customized based on the number of constituencies and parties fielding candidates.

The commission said though it operates based on existing legal regime, it was important to have the law that would guide the elections in place at least 12 to 18 months before the exercise.

Already, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has announced February 23, 2023 as the date for the presidential election, which is about one year from now.

The amendment, prompted by the compelling need to engender transparency, improve the electoral process and boost the credibility of elections, had generated nationwide debate, especially the need for electronic transmission of results and the contentious direct primary made mandatory for political parties.

President Buhari revealed in his letter to the National Assembly that the direct primary clause, inserted by the lawmakers, was the sole reason he vetoed the bill, noting that parties should have options on the mode of direct primary to adopt. “You can’t dictate to people and say you are practicing democracy,” he added.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, however, said, “The commission operates on the basis of the existing legal regime. The commission released the timetable and schedule of activities for the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections based on the extant and existing constitutional and electoral legal framework.

“The commission does not operate on the basis of speculation and deductions. Yes, the commission is aware of the pendency of a bill to amend the existing legal regime. That bill is still inchoate and does not become law until it is signed by the President and or the National Assembly determines otherwise. Hopefully, issues around the amended law will soon be resolved. It is important to have the legal regime in place at least 12 to 18 months before a major election. It is also important to resolve the issues based on the differential timelines in the existing electoral act and the one that is projected in the bill.”

After the President vetoed the bill, many lawmakers expressed anger over his decision.

In the upper chamber, angry senators threatened to override his veto. Some of them had begun collecting signatures to this effect, but the move was later jettisoned following persuasion from their colleagues and the party.

The two chambers agreed to revisit the bill after their Christmas and New Year recess.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made this known in his remarks during an emergency meeting of political parties in Abuja on Friday.

The discovery of double or multiple registrants was made during the process of cleaning up the registration data for the Anambra elections.

He said, “In Anambra State, a total of 138,802 citizens completed the registration, including applications for transfer and requests for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs as required by law. However, in the process of cleaning up the registration data, we discovered that many previously registered persons re-registered afresh.

“As a testimony to the effectiveness of our new system for checking double and multiple registrations, the commission found out that some 62,698 persons who are already registered voters in Anambra State went ahead to register again. These double or multiple registrations are invalid by law. We have archived these registrations and will not print new PVCs for them. Their old PVCs remain valid and they can use them to vote at the Polling Units where they registered and probably voted in previous elections.”

He also announced that the Commission plans to deploy about 26,000 election duty staff while lamenting the shortfalls in the required number ahead of the commencement of their training, scheduled for next week.

Yakubu said this in an address delivered on his behalf by the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye at a three-day retreat of the Joint Technical Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2020 which ended in Abuja on Sunday.

The INEC boss expressed gratitude to the Senate Committee on INEC and the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters; for working together to produce a new legal framework for the conduct of elections.

He said “It must be borne in mind that amending the electoral legal framework will not automatically guarantee or lead to an improvement in the management and conduct of elections. The Constitution and the Electoral Act can only be effective through the action and inaction of the critical stakeholders in the electoral process. The Constitution and Electoral Act can enhance the electoral process if the electoral management body, political parties and the electoral actors, the security agencies, the media and civil society organisations, effectively play their roles. Nigeria’s democracy and electoral processes will become more robust if critical stakeholders in the process resolve to restore sovereignty to the people as the true determinant of the outcome. This renewed drive is timely and must be sustained and approached with a sense of history and urgency. The reform must be impactful and should be concluded by the first quarter of 2021.’’

Yakubu was confirmed following the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC, led by Senator Kabiru Gaya, which submitted its report at plenary and recommended Yakubu for confirmation.

The Senators, in their recommendation described Yakubu as highly qualified for the job.

Chairman of the Electoral body, Professor Mahmood Yakubu who made the announcement during a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on INEC on Wednesday, November 4, said the sum of N1billion has also been earmarked for the exercise.

Yakubu disclosed that he is in support of diaspora voting during the session, and also called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to accommodate diaspora and early voting.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the announcement in Abuja on Thursday at the inauguration of the Special Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution at the House of Representatives.

Yakubu said, “This is what happens in Ghana; every Ghanaian knows that every December 7 is Election Day. Every American knows that the first Tuesday of November of an election year is the Election Day. In Nigeria, it is the second Saturday of February in the election year. Therefore, when is the 2023 general election going to hold? It is the second Saturday of February of the election year.  That means that from today till the 2023 presidential election, we have exactly 855 days. I am not reminding members of the National Assembly that their tenure will soon end. But the truth is that there has to be certainty of tenure. Between election and inauguration, there is time. So, between now and the next presidential election is 855 days, you have a very limited time for the Constitution amendment. There must be a way, either by way of an amendment to the legal framework or the Constitution, to effectively penalise electoral offenders in this country. You cannot have a flourishing democracy in which laws are violated with impunity and nothing happens. So, there must be a mechanism by which they should be discouraged.”

Already, the commission has invited manufacturers of electronic voting machines around the world to practically demonstrate how the machines work, preparatory to the full migration.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this during the demonstration of electronic voting machines.

He said, “Over the years, the commission has been automating the critical pillars of the process. The biometric register of voters has been updated continuously. At the moment, the INEC register of voters is the largest database of citizens in Nigeria. In addition, the combination of biometric voter cards commonly known as the Permanent Voter Card and the Smart Card Reader has revolutionised the accreditation of voters during elections. More recently, the introduction of a number of portals has facilitated the seamless nomination of candidates for elective offices by political parties as well as the accreditation of observers and the media. Most significantly, the commission now uploads polling unit level results in real-time on Election Day to a portal for public view. These are significant innovations that have deepened the transparency and credibility of elections and the electoral process in Nigeria. The commission developed the specifications of the functions required of the machine. After extensive discussion and review, the commission took the decision to invite original manufacturers of electronic voting machines around the world for a virtual or practical demonstration of the machines. The commission is aware that Nigerians want us to deepen the use of technology in elections. Let me reassure Nigerians that the commission is committed to expediting the process leading to the deployment of the EVMs in elections in earnest”

The commission expressed optimism that with all such efforts, the election would be held peacefully.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated these during a webinar on Edo and Ondo elections, organised by the Executive Director of International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade and Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.

He said  “It is a duty we must not abdicate but which we have to undertake with the utmost sense of professional responsibility so as to set the appropriate pubic interest agenda as far as elections in Edo and Ondo states are concerned. As we approach the Edo governorship election, it is clear that the people of the state and Nigerians as a whole are very concerned about what will happen on election day. We have all been hearing the loud drumbeats of war from political actors. There have been accusations and counter-accusations. Just like everybody else, the commission is deeply concerned. On proactive measures taken by the commission to address security concerns, consultations with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on election security are on-going. About two weeks ago, the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu led a delegation to meet with the Oba of Benin to ask him to intervene and appeal to political actors to allow a peaceful election. The respected monarch promised to invite them to his palace for interaction and he has already done so. Plans have also been concluded for all the 14 political parties participating in the election to sign a peace accord in the coming days. With all these efforts, it is our hope that the election will be held peacefully.”