Benjamin Babine, Abuja, FCT
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has congratulated Professor Mahammod Yakubu following his reappointment as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement released on Tuesday, the National Chairman of the umbrella body of all Nigerian registered political parties, Dr Leonard Nzenwa, said Yakubu’s reappointment is a blessing to the polity and that only a few people have achieved respectable results as he has as INEC Chairman.
Dr Nzenwa said that the INEC Chairman’s ‘remarkable digitalisation programme’ has transformed the way elections have been conducted in Nigeria over the last four years. He said the recent Edo and Ondo 2020 gubernatorial polls are examples of the positive technology and digitisation trajectory which Yakubus’ first tenure brought.
‘The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, therefore urges Prof. Yakubu to Continue with the strident effort to help in reformation of the electoral process, even as it requests the chairman to put his foot down to ensure that Nigerians votes count in all elections in the country going forward.
‘The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, calls on all stakeholders to work and support the reappointed INEC chairman effort to make all polls in the country to be inclusive, fair, free and credible. It is remarkable that Prof Mahmood Yakubus reappointment is the first time an INEC chairman is reappointed in the history of Nigeria,’ the IPAC chairman said.
Related: IPAC congratulates INEC Chairman, Yakubu, over re-appointment
Relatedly, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has also welcomed the reappointment of Prof Yakubu as INEC Chairman, describing it as well deserved owing to the incremental progress made by the election management body under the leadership of Prof Yakubu.
The election observer group, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Faith Nwadishi, mentioned gains recorded under Yakubu’s leadership to include the introduction of Continuous Voters Registration as prescribed in the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
It also mentioned the introduction of the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal; the introduction of the Z-Pad as an additional electronic means of voter identification and transmission of results from polling units in real-time. The group expressed confidence that Yakubu’s reappointment is a great opportunity to build on the electoral reforms already started.
‘CTA, therefore, calls on all stakeholders, to give their support to sustain the gains we have made in our electoral reforms under Professor Mahmood Yakubu. We call on the President and the National Assembly to quicken the amendment of the Electoral Act,’ the statement added.