INEC will be non-partisan, fair under my watch, says Yakubu
BARELY a day after his inauguration by President
Muhammadu Buhari, the INEC Chairman, Prof.
Mahmood Yakubu, has assured that the
Commission under his watch would be non-
partisan and fair to all Nigerians.
Speaking at the peace summit held at the
Creek Motel, Yenagoa, which was
attended by nearly all the 20 candidates
in the Saturday, December 5, 2015
Bayelsa governorship election, Prof.
Yakubu said INEC was resolute in its
commitment to provide a level playing
field.
The INEC chairman, who was
represented at the occasion by a
National Commissioner, Mrs. Amina Bala
Zakari, said the Commission was
facilitating the peace summit pursuant to
its mandate to pursue and promote
sound democratic knowledge and
practices, which he observed, was in
sync with the UNDP’s mandate of
promoting democracy and development
through good governance and reducing
the risk of conflict.
He said that in a democracy, sovereignty
belonged to the people and that this
sovereignty could be expressed in
elections that were devoid of violence,
threats, coercion or intimidation.
The Resident Representative of the
UNDP, Mr. Opiah Kumah, who was
represented by Mr. Matthew Alao,
congratulated the Commission for
facilitating the peace summit.
He observed that it was a similar effort
earlier in the year, which paved the way
for the peaceful 2015 general elections.
Kumah, who said the peace pact, the
Electoral Act and extant laws would
ensure that supporters of contestants did
not foment trouble before, during and
after the election, expressed delight that
the UNDP’s investment in deepening
Nigeria’s democracy was yielding
dividends.
In his remarks, Commissioner of Police
for Bayelsa State, Nasiru Oki, charged all
voters to comport themselves peacefully
on election day.
He admonished the contestants to eschew
violence and not to see the election as a
money-making venture.
He warned that any armed Orderly who
accompanied his principal to the polling
unit would be apprehended and
detained, adding that the police would be
on hand to arrest anyone who breached
the laws governing the election.
Besides, the Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC), Mr. Barito Kpagih,
who warned that any voter who presents
a fake Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC)
would be apprehended and handed over
to the security agencies, said the
guidelines for the 2015 general elections
would apply to the governorship election
and that there was no option for manual
accreditation.
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