By Balarabe Oshiafi
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has assured members of the National Assembly that the Commission is capable of conducting Local Government Elections across the country provided the laws are amended to grant the Commission the necessary authority.
He gave the assurance on Thursday, when he led a team from the Commission to the National Assembly for interaction with the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.
. ExpressDay learnt that talks mainly centred on the Edo and Ondo governorship elections scheduled for September and November 2024 respectively.
Yakubu pointed out that the Commission has successfully conducted Area Council Elections equivalent to Local Government elections over the years in the FCT. He emphasized that conducting LGA elections would be feasible only if the law is amended to empower INEC to take up the responsibility.
Highlighting the experience from INEC’s conduct of the Area Council Elections in the FCT, the Chairman pointed out the certainty of conducting these elections as scheduled. He stressed that there has never been a need to appoint a caretaker committee to take over the management of the Area Councils.
He also harped on the diversity of winners in the Area Council elections, noting that two major parties currently hold three Chairmanship seats each in the FCT. He added that no single political party has ever won all the seats in these elections, unlike in some states.
Regarding the upcoming end-of-tenure of governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States, the INEC Chairman assured lawmakers that the Commission is fully prepared to conduct these elections.
He said “As we speak we have 57 days to the opening of polls in Edo State and we have 113 days to the election in Ondo State. The Commission is prepared for the elections, I must also say that this particular Commission has a history of having conducted three governorship elections in each of the two states. We conducted the Governorship Election in Edo in 2016, September 2020 and by God’s grace in September 2024. In Ondo, we conducted the election in 2016, October 2020 and by God’s grace on the 16th of November 2024, so we have a lot of experience in both States.”
The INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission has successfully implemented 8 out of the 13 activities outlined in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the two states with none being shifted or delayed.
“Number 9 in the case of Edo state is the submission of the names of the polling agents by political parties, which according to the timetable is at the end of this month on the 30th of July 2024.”
Regarding the Commission’s concerns ahead of the elections, Yakubu acknowledged the challenge posed by flooding at the INEC state office. He assured that the Commission has overcome this slight setback and has remobilized for the election.
He also addressed a concern raised by a political party concerning the involvement of the Edo State Security Network (ESSN) in the electoral process. Yakubu assured that the matter was discussed with the Commissioner of Police and the Government has provided assurances that the ESSN will not be part of the security apparatchik for the election.
