CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has said the commission is fully ready for Osun State governorship election slated for July 16.
Yakubu made the declaration at the weekend in Abuja at a special meeting of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to review security arrangement ahead of the election.
He said the commission would next week deploy a readiness assessment team to Osun State to assess preparations for the elections. While he expressed concern over growing security threat likely to frustrate the smooth conduct of voter registration exercise, Yakubu assured that no eligible voters would be disenfranchised.
“We will visit some of our local government offices in the state, hold meetings with our staff, brief the council of traditional rulers to solicit the support of the royal majesties for peaceful elections and meet with the security agencies and transporters.
“We will also observe the mock accreditation of voters in some polling units across the three senatorial districts of the state to test the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“A few days to the election, we will return to Osun State to meet with the stakeholders and for the signing of the peace accord by political parties and candidates under the auspices of the National Peace Committee.
“Arising from the experience of the recent Ekiti State governorship election, the commission is keeping a close watch on the security situation in Osun State.
“Although it is generally calm at the moment, we are nevertheless concerned about reports of clashes in some places. In one recent example, the collection of permanent voters cards (PVCs) was disrupted in Erin Oke and Erin Ijesha Wards of Oriade Local Government Area, resulting in the loss of 46 PVCs.
“While the matter is being investigated by the police, the collection of PVCs for the affected wards is now taking place in the INEC office in Ijebu-Jesha.
“Meanwhile, the state office has compiled the voter identification numbers (VINs) of the cards and the commission has already reprinted the PVCs for the affected voters. I would like to assure all valid registrants in Osun State that no one will be disenfranchised on account of such incident.
“It is futile for anyone to attempt to vote using another person’s PVC. The BVAS biometric accreditation will expose such fraud and persons apprehended will be prosecuted under the law,” he said.
The INEC chairman, who expressed disappointment over incident of vote buying that trailed the recent Ekiti State governorship election, vowed that the commission would follow up on the prosecution of alleged votes buyers apprehended in Ekiti.
“Again, arising from the experience in recent elections, vote buying remains a major area of concern. We appreciate the role played by the anti-corruption and security agencies in apprehending some of the perpetrators of this brazen assault on our democracy.
“In particular, we are working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure the prosecution of persons arrested in the recent Ekiti election. Action will commence as soon as the EFCC completes its investigation. I appeal to all security agencies to continue to join hands with the Commission to tackle this menace,” he said.
Meanwhile, the INEC, at the weekend, put the total number of eligible registered voters to participate in the July 16 governorship election in Osun at 1,955,657.
He added that 15 political parties would participate in the exercise in all the 30 local government areas in the state.
These details were made known by the National Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, at a media executive programme organised by the commission in Osogbo. Okoye, who assured that the commission would conduct a free and fair election in the state, charged electorate to follow the rules of the game and warned against electoral malpractices.
While disclosing that sensitive materials to be used for conduct of the election would not pass through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), he said arrangement had been put in place to ensure they are flown into the state, while adequate security operatives would be on the ground to safeguard them.
He further requested the cooperation of all stakeholders to discourage electoral fraud and other anti-democratic attitudes during the period, assuring that INEC personnel would be on the ground to perform their duties.
The national commissioner, who sought support of media practitioners on credible and fair reportage of the election, described media role as a necessity in making the country’s democracy thrive.
While noting that breaking of news is good, he charged reporters to be accurate and fact-check for the right information to be disseminated to members of the public.
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