Vice-chancellors involvement in electoral process vital for free, fair polls

Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has again stressed its commitment to sustaining its partnership with university vice-chancellors and other academics in the country, saying their inclusion in the electoral process was vital to the sustenance of democracy in the country.

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Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, in a statement late Tuesday night in Abuja, said the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the commitment at the post- 2019 General Election Review Retreat with Collation and Returning Officers in Lagos.

According to the chairman, “the current partnership between INEC and the universities must be sustained because it is vital for the conduct of credible elections in Nigeria.” Yakubu observed that the commission was under obligation to thank the vice-chancellors that served as state collation officers for the presidential election and returning officers for the governorship elections for their immense services to the nation.

He said: “Only those who are involved will appreciate what it means to conduct elections in Nigeria. Anything that anybody has told you before is just a story. It is those who are really involved in the conduct of elections that know what it means.

‘’The commission deeply appreciates your service and sacrifice, resulting in some cases, to violent confrontations. We saw the way you handled the violent confrontations by partisan actors on election day.

We have also seen social media assault and regrettably, in some cases, even physical assault. “We remember the sleepless nights, the media exposure, the criticisms, the condemnations, the commendations and in some cases, a recognition earned after the elections.”

His words: “If not for the vice-chancellors, where else can we have the pool of serious-minded and credible Nigerians for such an onerous responsibility?”

National Commissioner and Chairman, Planning, Monitoring and Strategy Committee, PMSC, Dr Mustafa Lecky, noted that the commission’s aim for organising the meeting was to comprehensively evaluate the conduct of the polls to learn vital lessons that would facilitate a review of policies and programmes implemented during the polls, to create inputs for a road map for future elections.

President of European Centre for Electoral Support, ECES, Ms. Monica Frassoni, who described the role of collation and returning officers as “crucial,” also observed that it was important for ECES, which supports INEC in various capacities, to hear from them about what happened during the polls and how the situation could be improved. On his part, Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr Sam Olumekun, revealed that the state recruited 60,560 ad-hoc staff in various capacities to deliver the 2019 general elections.

Also speaking, Special Adviser to INEC Chairman, Prof Mohammad Kuna, gave a breakdown of the four themes listed for discussion, including field experiences with collation processes; logistic issues in the collation process; issues and challenges in the collation process and other general matters.