INEC ‘ll use observers’ experiences for future polls – Yakubu

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the commission will utilize the lessons and experiences of the accredited observers for the conduct of future elections.

He gave the assurance yesterday in Abuja at the formal de-briefing of accredited observers for the 2019 General Elections.

Represented by a National Commissioner, Prof. Antonia OkoosiSimbine, Yakubu acknowledged that the observation of the 2019 election must have presented its challenges not only on the account of the vast nature and terrain of the country with over 120,000 polling units and voting points, but also on account of the peculiar or additional challenges presented by the shift and rescheduling of the dates of the elections by the commission.

Participants at the meeting raised observations including the failure of the Smart Card Readers (SCRs), violence, compromise by election officers and misconducts by security operatives among others.

According to him, the de-briefing exercise serves as a precursor to the more comprehensive reports the commission was expecting from their respective organizations as soon as possible.

Apart from Prof. Antonia OkoosiSimbine, some of the other national commissioners at the de-briefing were Retired Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Mu'azu, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, Prince Soyebi Adedeji Solomon, Hajiya Amina Bala Zakari and Mohammed Kudu Haruna.