PDP advises Mr Yakubu to go to Ghana and US to study how they conduct credible polls
The Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) has advised the reappointed Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, to use the more than two years
ahead of the 2023 general election to rejig the electoral commission.
The party gave the
advice in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan,
in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mr Ologbondiyan
advised Mr Yakubu to use the period to work out legislations and operational
rules that would guarantee a free, credible and all-inclusive electoral
process.
He advised him to go
to Ghana and the U.S. and take a study from their electoral bodies on how to
conduct free, fair, transparent and credible general elections.
He advised Mr Yakubu
to learn from the Ghana electoral commission, which was making more room for a
more all-inclusive electoral process by starting a special voting system to
enable personnel of critical service providers to cast their ballots days ahead
of the December 7 election date.
He also advised the
INEC Chairman to study how the U.S. credibly conducted a keenly contested 2020
presidential election without recourse to government influence and use of
security to suppress the wishes of citizens as expressed at the polling units.
He advised Mr Yakubu to engage political stakeholders for legislations, rules and field procedures, so as to curb violence, ensure the security of electoral materials and guarantee the safety of voters.
“The INEC Chairman
should initiate processes and procedures that will guarantee prompt arrival of
ballot materials, rapid accreditation and voting, instant transmission of
results from polling units as well as seamless collation of figures.
“Our party demands
Prof. Yakubu to improve on legislations that restrict the involvement of
security agencies in voting and collation processes, check underage and alien
voters, vote-buying, alteration of results and manipulation of voter register.”
Mr Ologbondiyan urged
Mr Yakubu to pursue an amendment to the electoral act to make it mandatory for
INEC to publish the voter register online, thus terminating the doctoring of
the register and accreditation process.
“It is therefore
instructive to restate that with the new appointment, Yakubu has been given an
ample time and opportunity to redeem the image of the commission and give our
nation a credible election.
“Credible election
that will be devoid of the failures, disappointments, miscarriages and
litigations.
“Our party urges the
reappointed INEC Chairman to note that the 2023 general election will hugely
impact the fate of over 200 million Nigerians.
“As such, he must
ensure that the nation does not go down in his hands,” Mr Ologbondiyan said.
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