May 19, 2021

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday met with all Residents Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in the country decrying the spate of attacks and arson of the commission’s state offices.

According to the INEC Boss, the meeting is an emergency meeting to review some of the eventful developments since their last meeting.

Mahmood who condemned the spate of arson and vandalism of state offices noted that the ugly trend has become very troubling to the commission and the damage to INEC materials were total and are capable of affecting the Commission’s ability to conduct elections.

He told the Commissioners about the ongoing efforts to expand the number of polling units, noting that the Commission has also completed all preparations for the continuous voters’ registration which will commence next month.

“The Commission conducted 28 out of 32 bye-elections across the country since the 2019 General Election, in addition to four end-of tenure Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi and Ondo States.

“The by-elections were held in 20 States involving six Senatorial Districts, seven Federal Constituencies, 18 State Constituencies, and one Councillorship Constituency in Abaji Ward of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“Indeed, it is now clear that the Commission must reconcile itself with the fact that elections have become an all-year round undertaking in Nigeria.

“In addition to the bye-elections, the Commission successfully concluded stakeholder engagements on the expansion of voter access to Polling Units. I am glad to inform you that the option of converting existing Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements into full-fledged Pus and situating them in the most agreeable locations to support increased voter access was overwhelmingly accepted by Nigerians.

“Consequently, the Commission has, in the last three weeks concluded the actual exercise as well as the verification of the newly established PUs,” Yakubu said at the meeting.