The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated on Wednesday that, contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to hide about the conduct of the 2023 General Elections.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu revealed this at the Post Election Review of the 2023 General Elections with Media Stakeholders in Lagos.
Despite the many hurdles, Yakubu stated that there were many beneficial outcomes from the 2023 elections.
Despite the difficulties encountered during the previous elections, the chairman stated that the commission would continue to improve its methods of holding elections across the country.
“This is an opportunity for media executives from various organisations to tell us what they have seen and how we can continue to improve the electoral process in the future.”
‘”The commission has nothing to hide, and it is through this type of interaction that we are constantly improving the process for future elections.”
“Clearly, there are many positives from the general elections, but we also acknowledge that there were many challenges in the last election.”
“There are several election litigations at various election tribunals across the country, and we should be careful not to touch on issues that are clearly subjudice.”
Yakubu stated that INEC invited media executives from state, local government, and community levels who had covered the elections and talked with Nigerians in their own languages.
He stated that, in addition to what it did in Abuja the previous week, the commission would listen to executives on what media said about the elections at the local and community levels.
According to him, it is via these encounters and talks with the media that the commission may broaden the area of election consultations.
Yakubu noted that as part of the review, the commission would like to know what obstacles the media faced, from the accreditation procedure to access to polling units and collation centres during the elections.
He added that it would like to collect feedback on the security arrangements and make recommendations for future improvements.
Yakubu stated that the panel may ask the National Assembly to change the law to accommodate Nigerians who were unable to vote due to the nature of their jobs.
“For example, many Nigerians did not have the opportunity to vote on election day simply because our laws state that you can only vote where you are registered.”
“On election day, most journalists worked in locations other than where they were registered, so they did not have the opportunity to vote.”
“This does not only apply to journalists; it also applies to INEC officials, both regular and ad hoc, as well as security agencies.”
“Through this type of interaction, we get recommendations from stakeholders and determine which areas we will approach the National Assembly to amend the laws in.”
