We are re-strategising for 2019 general elections

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday said the commission was poised to build a functional electoral system ahead of 2019 general elections.

Yakubu made the assertion at the opening of a two-day strategic workshop to review the implementation of the commission’s strategic plan for 2012-2016.

The chairman said that the workshop was part of the commission’s strategic plan toward successful general elections in 2019 and beyond.

“The objective of this workshop is to retrospect and project in two days, and come up with better ideas and solutions.

“We need to re-strategise for the 2019 general elections and beyond to come up with practical solutions on how to strengthen the electoral process.

“This we will do based on the policies of fairness, transparency, credibility and impartiality,” the INEC chief said.

He stressed the need to reflect on the constitutional and legally-defined responsibilities of the commission, and as well analyse the legal and procedural framework for elections management in Nigeria.

According to him, these include the standard principle, processes and regulations for election management in the country.

Reacting to the issue of misdemeanor on the part of some INEC officials, he said that such unprofessional conduct would not go unpunished when brought to the attention of the commission.

He said that the commission had administrative processes already in place to tackle unprofessional conduct by any official.

The INEC chief said that over 102 cases of arrest made by the police during the Rivers re-run, Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections were currently in court.

Yakubu said that 62 among those arrested had been prosecuted and sentenced.

In his remarks, Mr Shalva Kipshidze, the Country Director, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), said, “The success of every institution is characterised by the institutions’ willingness to plan.

“Strategic planning is important to an organisation because it provides a sense of direction and outlines measurable goals,” Kipshidze said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission’s national commissioners, Residents Electoral Commissioners and directors were attending the two days retreat in Lagos.