By Michael Oche,
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has congratulated Professor Mahmood Yakubu following his re-appointment as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In statement released on Tuesday evening, the National Chairman of the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, Dr. Leonard Nzenwa, noted that Yakubu’s re-appointment is a welcome development and a blessing to the polity, restating that only few helmsmen at the Commision have been able to achieve respectable results like he has done during his first tenure.
The IPAC chairman praised the INEC boss for his “remarkable digitalization program which has transformed the way elections have been conducted in the country in the last four years.”
According to him, the recent success of the Edo and Ondo 2020 Gubernatorial Polls are clear examples of the positive technology and digitization trajectory which Prof. Yakubu’s first tenure gave to Nigeria.
The statement reads further, “The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, therefore urges Prof. Yakubu to Continue with the strident effort to help in reformation of the electoral process, even as it requests the chairman to put his foot down to ensure that Nigerians votes counts in all elections in the country going forward.
“The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, calls on all stakeholders to work and support the re-appointed INEC chairman effort to make all polls in the country to be inclusive, fair, free and credible.
“It is remarkable that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu’s re-appointment is the first time an INEC chairman is re-appointed in the history of Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has welcomed the re-appointment of Professor Mahmood Yakubu for confirmation by the Senate for another five-year term as Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The election observer group in a statement signed by its executive director, Faith Nwadishi described the appointment as well deserved owing to the incremental progress made by the Election Management Body under the leadership of Professor Yakubu.
The group listed some of the gains recorded under Yakubu’s leadership to include Introduction of Continuous Voters Registration as prescribed in the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, Introduction of the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal, Introduction of the Z-Pad as an additional electronic means of voter identification and transmission of results from polling units in real-time.
Others include gradual return of credibility in our electoral process as attested by the Edo and Ondo States 2020 Governorship elections and internal reforms along the electoral value chain.
The group expressed confidence that the re-appointment is well deserved and a great opportunity to build on the electoral reforms already started.
“CTA therefore, calls on all stakeholders, to give their support to sustain the gains we have made in our electoral reforms under Professor Mahmood Yakubu. We call on the President and the National Assembly to quicken the amendment of the Electoral Act,” the statement added.
