2023 poll: INEC warns VCs against nominating politically partisan staff for election duties

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja & Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned that it would not include any staff of the nation’s universities who are card carrying members of political parties or have participated in partisan politics in election duties in the forthcoming general election.

This is as it said buying of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) will not help any politician during the general elections.

Towards this end, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has told the Vice Chancellors of the various universities in the country to avoid nominating such members for election duties.

Prof Yakubu gave the warning yesterday during a meeting with Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities at the conference hall of the National Universities Commission headquarters in Abuja.

The INEC Chairman added that those who have been convicted of electoral malpractice must be excluded from the list to be compiled for election duties by the Vice Chancellors.

Prof Yakubu, in his speech at the meeting, categorically told the Vice Chancellors that INEC will carefully scrutinize the list ,which must be submitted confidentially in the manner prescribed by the Commission in an earlier letter to the Vice Chancellors.

His words, “I must warn that staff who are card carrying members or have participated in partisan politics should not be nominated.

“Similarly, those who may not be involved in partisan politics but are known to have obvious political leanings should not be nominated.

“Furthermore, those who have been convicted of electoral malpractice must be excluded.

•Says buying of Voters

“The Commission will carefully scrutinise the list which must be submitted confidentially in the manner prescribed by Commission in my letter to the Vice Chancellors.

“Like all election duty personnel, each Collation and Returning Officer will swear to an oath of neutrality”, he said.

Prof Yakubu pointed out that INEC has always appreciated the support of the Vice Chancellors and the continuing partnership with the Federal universities, often under strenuous circumstances. “We shall continue to work together in our collective effort to consolidate our democracy”, he stated.

Continuing, the INEC Chairman said, “At the polling unit level, the critical segment of election duty staff is drawn from products of our Universities and Polytechnics, involved in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

“For the various collation and declaration centres, the Commission draws the required Collation and Returning Officers from the academic staff of our universities, including the Vice Chancellors who serve as Returning Officers for Governorship election and State Collation Officers for Presidential election.

“Despite a few challenges, this happy partnership has further enhanced the transparency and credibility of the elections in Nigeria as well as public confidence in the process. The Commission wishes to sustain this partnership”, he assured Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that buying of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) will not help any politician during the general elections.

The Kaduna INEC Administrative Secretary, Mr. Auwal Mashi said this on Thursday at a stakeholder meeting in Kaduna.

He also disclosed that INEC is almost 90 per cent ready for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

Mashi said that the commission held a successful mock accreditation to ascertain the functionality and efficacy of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) machine.

He said “I can assure you that

God willing, we will not have any problems with our machines”.

According to Mashi, about 408, 000 new Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and 228, 000 others transferred from other locations had been collected by their owners.

He said that, sensitive materials for the election were already secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He further said that INEC was collaborating with the CBN to ensure the availability of cash for the running of the election without hitches.

Meanwhile, stakeholders raised alarm over the rate in which politicians are luring electorate into the selling of their Permanent Voters Card (PVC).

The meeting had in attendance representatives of political parties, traditional rulers, media and others.