The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, emphasized the challenges of conducting isolated elections in Nigeria during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. Scheduled rerun and by-elections on February 3 necessitated the discussion, prompted by the demise of some members of the national and state Houses of Assembly.
Prof. Yakubu urged security agencies to ensure a secure environment for the electoral process, highlighting the multi-stakeholder responsibility involved in conducting credible elections. He pointed out that without a peaceful environment, the credibility of the elections would be jeopardized. The INEC Chairman acknowledged the potential for disruptive behavior by candidates and their supporters, particularly in the context of isolated elections such as by-elections and re-runs.
He noted that even a rerun in a single polling unit or a handful of units could face severe disruptions due to acts of thuggery, emphasizing the impact on the election’s overall outcome. Prof. Yakubu disclosed that the Nigeria Police Force, as the lead agency for elections, had received comprehensive information about election locations, the number of collected Permanent Voter Cards, and other pertinent details.
The INEC Chairman further informed that the commission had received four additional orders from the Court of Appeal, bringing the total number of affected constituencies to 39 out of the 1,491 constituencies nationwide in the 2023 general elections. He clarified that nine by-elections would cover entire constituencies, while re-run elections would only affect a few polling units in some cases.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Hassan Abdullahi, emphasized the importance of managing election-related violence, intimidation, and security threats to uphold the electoral process’s credibility. The NSA assured sustained collaboration with INEC to ensure secure and peaceful elections, highlighting the coordination of security operations, deployment of personnel, and the adoption of proactive security measures as paramount in achieving this goal.
