75 political parties pass confidence vote on INEC chairman

Seventy-five political parties have passed a confidence vote on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, saying that the 2019 general elections met the expectation of majority of Nigerians.

Chairmen of the parties, who spoke at a two-day national roundtable discussion on the evaluation of the last polls in Abuja, however blamed operatives of security agencies, particularly the military and the police, for whatever shortcomings that might have been witnessed in the election, even as they called on President Muhammadu Buhari to speedily sign the Electoral Amendment Bill into law to save the country from the challenges associated with the current electoral law.

The roundtable, with the theme, “The Role and Performances of Stakeholders in the 2019 General Elections: Issues, Challenges and Prospects,” which took place at International Conference Centre, Abuja, drew together political stakeholders, including members of the civil society organisations (CSOs), immediate past Vice President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Sam Sumana and chaired by Prof. Remi Aiyede.

In her address, the Acting Executive Director, Centre for Transparent Advocacy (CTA), co-organisers of the event, Faith Nwadishi, stated that INEC as the umpire of the general elections proved quite independent in the way it responded to the unexpected challenges thrown its way by the stakeholders in the process and other unforeseen circumstances during the last general elections.”

However, in a communique issued at the end of the conference, leaders of the political parties said that the decision to commend the INEC chairman was anchored on his commitment to ensure that things were done in a transparent manner.

“The roundtable after a comprehensive review of the conduct of the 2019 general elections passes a vote of confidence on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for the successful conduct of the election, and notes with satisfaction the transparency in communication and regular engagement of stakeholders at the national, state and local government levels, which ensured that everybody was carried along in the process.

“The roundtable indicts the security agencies for the lapses in the election due largely to their collusion with unscrupulous politicians and negligence to do their jobs,” the communiqué said, among others.