The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday (tomorrow) in relation to the preparations for the forthcoming general elections.
Also the Commission has disclosed that it will by next week meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) which it described as a critical partner, reiterating that it has already signed a memorandum of understanding with its affiliate, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for the movement of personnel and materials on the election days.
INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu on Thursday announced Hajiya Amina Zakari as chairman of National Collation Centre for the presidential elections as well as Air Vice Marshall Ahmed Mua’zu, as the chairman of the Electoral Logistics Committee.
Yakubu said the commission “is concerned that the bulk of critical election duty staff are drawn from the universities” expressing the determination to ensure that the processes are not affected by the union’s industrial action.
Meanwhile, Yakubu said the two committees- the Electoral Logistics Committee and The National Collation Centre Committee were set up to drive the important components of the electoral process.
According to Yakubu, the Electoral Logistics Committee being chaired by the a National Commissioner in INEC, Air Vice Marshall Ahmad Muazu, is a mixture of INEC officials and some security agencies whose roles he said has been defined in section 29(3) of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended, the National Collation Centre is made up of entirely INEC staffers.
Prof Yakubu stated that the Electoral Logistics Committee was charged with the responsibility of “coordinating logistics support as well as the clearance and transpiration of election materials to the various locations nationwide.
According to the INEC boss, the sensitive and non sensitive will be taken “to over 200, 000 locations nationwide, ranging from the polling units to the wards, local governments, state and national collation centers for the 1558 constituencies in which elections will be conducted.”
He stated that at the end of the elections, “the sensitive materials will also be retrieved from the locations”, adding that “the same process will be repeated for each of the two phases of the 2019 general elections namely: the presidential and national Assembly elections to be held on February 16 and that of the Governorship, States Assembly and Area Council Elections in the FCT billed for March 2.”
On the National Collation Committee chaired by another National Commissioner, Hajiya Amina Zakari, Yakubu said it in charge of the national collation centre from where the presidential election results shall be announced.
The INEC chairman stated that the International Conference Centre (ICC) has been approved for the commission to use as the National Collation Centre for the presidential election.
“It (ICC) will serve as the secretariat for the collation of results and venue for briefing international observers and the media. It will also be assessable to agents of the 73 political parties that fielding candidates for the presidential elections. Facilities such as power, access to internet, live transmission for national and international media as well as accreditation for access the ICC and the security of venue shall be handled by the committee,” Yakubu stated.
The national commissioner was once appointed acting chairman of INEC.
She had been at the commission’s department of health and welfare after being redeployed as the head of electoral operations and logistics.
Her redeployment took place after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused her of working for President Muhammadu Buhari and demanded that she be moved.
