Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Amina Bala Zakari has called on Resident Electoral Commissioner’s (RECs)
to remain impartial and committed to the delivery of qualitative electoral
services to the country.
She made the call yesterday at a meeting with RECs, at the Commission’s
headquarters in Abuja.
The Acting Chairman called for caution, noting that the Commission was
experiencing challenges in the management of the various cases before the
election petition tribunals.
“We shall continue to uphold our role as independent, non-partisan and an
unbiased umpire. We must ensure that we act according to the rules and
remain above board, as well as cooperate with all stakeholders to ensure
free, fair and un-interrupted dispensation of justice,” she said.
Speaking on the agenda of the meeting, Amina Zakari said: “Our meeting
today is designed to enable us focus and re-strategize on key issues of
the electoral process. It is obvious that the recommendations from the Uyo
retreat have been far-reaching. We need to understudy those reports with a
view to identifying suitable modalities for the implementation of the
recommendations therein”.
The recommendations which required urgent attention, Mrs. Zakari said,
included:
· Continuous Voter Registration and Permanent Voter Cards’ distribution,
· Improved communication strategies with internal and external
stakeholders
· Ad-hoc staff matters (recruitment, training and payment)
· Legal reforms among others
On the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa Governorship elections, she challenged
the RECs and staff of the Commission to raise the bar and ensure the
elections met world-class standards. Said she: “it is important to begin
to look towards the necessary mechanisms that would positively impact on
the conduct of these exercises. We have already set good records; but
should still improve to make the elections a world class exercise”.
The Acting Chairman used the opportunity to announce the confirmation of
former Secretary of INEC, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, as REC by the Senate,
and stressed the need to secure electioneering materials and INEC offices
nationwide.
Also at the meeting, the official presentation of the 2015 Election Report
was done by the Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Professor
Abubakar Momoh.
While making the presentation, Professor Momoh noted that the report was a
collective effort, with inputs from states which gave it the needed
cohesion. “It is not an attempt to idealize the 2015 general elections,
but a sober reflection of the realities of the electoral process”, he
said.