Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has stated that the conduct of elections “requires painstaking preparations and strategic plans.” Yakubu, who stated this yesterday when he received members of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Losotho led Dr. Letholetseng Ntsike, told them that election management “is not a guess work.”
According to him, “election is not a guess work, you must prepare for election, in a workable strategy.” He disclosed the INEC had election plans for the last cycle and beyond, adding that in 2016, the Commission came out with another strategic plan that covered a period between 2016 and 2021.
“So, we are very happy to including the experience in the validation processes that led to the conclusion of strategic plan and strategic programme of action.” The INEC Chairman disclosed that the strategic plans enable INEC to predict the dates and times of elections, adding that “Nigeria’s next general elections would hold on February 16.” He said the team would in the course of their stay in Nigeria interact with the INEC staff who prepared the strategic plan and the programme of action. He also said copies of the documents would be made available to the delegation.
Earlier, Ntsike who is Lesotho Director of Elections, described Nigeria’s INEC as “an ideal knowledge provider.” “We choose INEC because of its diverse experience. We expect that there will discussions, presentations and analytical work so that we go back learned. We have come to learn more, with the knowledge outcome, we hope that our EMB will be improved,” she said. According to her, the Lesotho IEC has made eff orts to improve after the political turmoil of 1998 that led to the establishment of the commission.
